VIRGINIA 
BAPTIST 
MINISTERS 

George  Braxton  Taylor 


FOURTH 
SERIES 


■2-.  I  .  "i 


\V^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  '^ 


Purchased   by  the 
Mrs.   Robert   Lenox   Kennedy  Church   History   Fund. 


BX  6248  .V8  T39  1913 
Taylor,  George  Braxton,  186( 

-1942. 
Virginia  Baptist  ministers 


V-, 


Virginia  Baptist  Ministers 


FOURTH  SERIES 


GEORGE    BRAXTON    TAYLOR 


Professor  and  Resident  Chaplain  Hollins  College, 

Pastor  of  the  "  Hollins  Field," 

and  author  of 

'  Life  and  Letters  of  Rev.  George  Boardman  Taylor,  D.  D.;" 

"Virginia  Baptist  Ministers,  Third  Series." 


WITH  A  FOREWORD 

BY 

Rev.  Edgar  Young  Mullins,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

President  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary 


1913 
J.  P.  BELL  COMPANY,  Inc. 

LYNCHBURG,  VA. 


Copyright,  1913 
By  George  Braxton  Taylor 


To 

John  Roberts  Moffett 


FOREWORD 

In  the  multiplication  of  books  on  all  sorts  of  subjects, 
in  our  day,  biography  has,  to  a  considerable  extent,  lost 
its  position  of  influence  and  power.  Fortunately,  there 
are  not  wanting  signs  of  the  return  of  modern  readers 
to  an  appreciation  of  this  form  of  literature.  No  books 
which  have  ever  been  written  have  been  more  dynamic 
in  a  moral  and  spiritual  sense  than  the  biographies  of 
faithful  and  great  men.  Human  character  is  the  best 
possible  commentary  upon  great  principles.  The  lives 
which,  in  a  consistent  manner,  embody  the  moral  and 
spiritual  ideals  of  the  race  are  among  our  choicest  assets. 

The  humble  and  quiet  preachers  of  the  gospel  are 
among  the  most  potent  forces  of  our  civilization.  Devoid 
of  craving  for  notoriety,  free  from  the  taint  of  worldly 
ambition  and  the  greed  of  gold,  with  single-hearted 
devotion  pursuing  their  quiet  calling,  these  are  the  true 
nation  builders,  unknown  by  the  great,  busy  world,  and 
unheralded  in  the  public  prints. 

I  have  read  the  pages  of  this  new  series  of  sketches 
of  Virginia  Baptist  ministers  with  absorbing  interest. 
Here  is  recounted  in  a  felicitous  manner  the  deeds  and 
exploits  of  a  large  number  of  as  fine  men  as  God  has 
ever  given  to  America.  Some  of  the  names  are  known 
throughout  the  nation  and  the  world.  The  majority  of 
them  are  little  known,  perhaps,  save  within  the  limits  of 
their  own  State,  but  the  narratives  of  all  of  them  will 
richly  repay  the  reader  who  has  a  faculty  for  appreciat- 
ing the  real  constructive  forces  of  modern  civilization. 

Dr.  Taylor  has  done  his  work  surpassingly  well. 
Again  and  again,  I  have  been  struck  with  his  good  judg- 
ment and  taste  in  the  selection  and  grouping  of  facts, 


FOREWORD  5 

with  a  view  to  bringing  into  clear  outline  the  portrait 
he  is  painting,  or  rather  the  life  whose  story  he  is  tell- 
ing. His  task  was  an  unusually  difficult  one  because 
the  number  of  sketches  was  so  great,  and  many  of  them 
were  necessarily  very  brief.  In  such  an  undertaking 
everything  depends  upon  the  ability  of  the  author  to 
seize  the  salient  points  and  state  them  effectively.  The 
graphic  and  pictorial  element  in  the  narrative  of  these 
lives  adds  greatly  to  the  interest.  A  little  touch  here  and 
there  makes  the  character  stand  out  in  relief. 

The  contributors  to  the  volume,  apart  from  the  author, 
have  also  done  excellent  work.  I  venture  the  prediction 
that  Virginia  Baptists,  and,  indeed,  all  Baptists,  will 
receive  with  pleasure  this  valuable  contribution  to  the 
religious  history  of  Virginia  and  the  South.  It  will  be 
the  means  of  perpetuating  the  influence  of  these  fine  men 
through  the  coming  years. 

E.   Y.   MULLINS. 

Louisville,  Ky., 

September  i6,  1913. 


PREFACE 

In  1837  the  "Lives  of  Virginia  Baptist  Ministers" 
appeared,  the  author  being  Rev.  James  B.  Taylor.  The 
first  edition  contained  "biographies  of  nearly  one 
hundred  ministers."  The  second  edition  had  "nearly 
forty  additional  memoirs,"  but  omitted  the  sketch  of 
Lott  Carey  and  that  of  Abner  W.  Clopton,  since  each  of 
these  sketches,  by  that  time,  had  appeared  "in  a  separate 
edition."  The  first  edition  opens  with  a  sketch  of 
Shubael  Stearns,  who  was  born  in  1706,  and  comes  down 
to  about  1837.  In  1859  there  appeared  the  third  edition 
of  the  "Lives  of  Virginia  Baptist  Ministers,"  which,  by 
that  time,  had  grown  into  two  volumes.  The  sketches 
of  the  first  volume  (or  "series")  had  been  revised,  and, 
in  some  cases,  enlarged.  The  "second  series"  contained 
memoirs  of  men  who  had  passed  away  after  the  publica- 
tion of  the  first  edition.  These  volumes,  like  the  first, 
were  the  work  of  Rev.  James  B.  Taylor. 

No  further  volume,  in  this  series,  appeared  until  the 
fall  of  1912.  At  the  General  Association  in  Charlottes- 
ville, in  November,  1905,  Rev.  Alfred  Bagby  offered  a 
resolution  which  called  attention  to  the  need  of  a  Third 
Series.  No  further  action  in  the  matter  was  taken  by 
the  General  Association  until  the  meeting  in  Portsmouth, 
in  1909,  when,  upon  motion  of  Rev.  Alfred  Bagby,  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  "secure  the  services  of  some 
brother  competent  by  reason  of  age  and  intellectual 
gifts"  to  prepare  a  Third  Series.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
Association  in  Roanoke  in  1910,  this  committee  was  con- 
tinued. At  the  meeting  of  the  Association  in  Norfolk 
in  1911,  the  committee  reported,  through  its  chairman. 
Rev.  W.  F.  Dunaway,  that  the  manuscript  of  the  desired 
volume,  prepared  at  their  request  by  Rev.  George  Brax- 
ton Taylor,  was  ready,  and  that  the  J.  P.  Bell  Co.,  of 
Lynchburg,  agreed  to  publish  the  book,  assuming  the 
financial    responsibility,     if    they     should     receive    five 


PREFACE  7 

hundred  subscriptions.  Practically  this  number  of  sub- 
scriptions was  at  once  obtained.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
Association,  in  1912,  at  Petersburg,  the  committee 
reported  that  an  edition  of  1,000  volumes  of  the 
'Third  Series"  had  been  published.  They  also  reported 
that  it  had  been  impossible  to  include  in  the  Third  Series 
sketches  beyond  the  year  1886,  and  recommended  that 
a  Fourth  Series  be  prepared.  This  volume  is  now  pre- 
sented. In  view  of  the  limits,  as  to  size,  set  by  the 
publishers,  it  has  been  impossible  for  this  volume  to 
reach  down  to  the  present  year.  So  it  comes  about  that 
the  Third  Series  covers  the  period  from  1860  to  1886, 
while  the  present  volume  contains  sketches  of  ministers 
who  died  between  the  end  of  1885  and  of  1902. 

The  attempt  has  been  made,  both  in  this  volume  and 
the  Third  Series,  to  give  sketches  of  all  Virginia  Bap- 
tist ministers  who  died  in  the  two  periods  indicated,  but 
doubtless  the  list  is  incomplete.  Not  a  few  of  these 
sketches  will  call  attention  to  lives  that  otherwise  had 
not  been  known.  So  recent  has  been  the  death  of  many 
whose  record  is  in  this  volume,  that  doubtless  many,  as 
they  read,  will  exclaim,  remembering  those  whom  they 
have  loved  and  with  whom  they  have  labored : 

"But,  oh,  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand, 
And  the  sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still." 

It  is  devoutly  hoped  that,  by  this  volume,  these  good 
and  useful  lives  may  become  a  help  and  a  blessing  to 
many  who  never  saw  these  servants  of  God  in  the  flesh. 
May  it  be  that  we,  following  the  path  they  trod, 

"Shall  find  the  toppling  crags  of  Duty  scaled 
Are  close  upon  the  shining  tablelands 
To  which  our  God  Himself  is  moon  and  sun." 

George  Braxton  Taylor. 
"The  Hill,"  Hollins,  Virginia, 
August  i6,  19 1 3- 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Atkins,    Samuel   Johnson 76 

Austin,   Isaac  T 168 

Bagby,    George    Franklin 364 

Banks,    Harrison    H 109 

Baptist,  Edward  Granville _ 290 

Baylor,   R.   H S3 

Baynham,  Wm.   a 31 

Betts,    Charles    Nelms 412 

BiLLINGSLEY,     JoSEPH     AsCHAM 187 

Bitting,    Charles    Carroll 328 

Booker,   Richard   Edward _ 373 

Boston,   Solomon   Charles 29 

Broaddus,   Andrew 367 

Broadus,   John    A 231 

Brown,   Pleasant 93 

Brown,  James   D _ 81 

Buckner,  R.  H.  W 261 

Burrows,  John  Lansing 170 

Butler,  J.   M 114 

Carroll,  John   Lemuel 285 

Chancellor,    Melzi    S 259 

Chaplin,    George   H 297 

Clarke,    F.    C 46 

Corey,  Charles  H _ 323 

CouLLiNG,    David _ 27 

Creath,    Thomas    B 165 

Crowder,    Hosea 37 

Davidson,  A.  F 372 

Dillard,   Edward   Farmer 327 

Dillard,  James  M 192 

Doll,  John  A 292 

Dooley,   Thomas  William 408 

Dulin,  Burr  P 274 

Ferguson,   Henry   Grady 375 

Fisher,  William 318 

Fox,   Richard  Andrew 376 

Fry,    Cyrus   Franklin 152 

Fuller,   Samuel   Thomas 106 

Glass,  John   S 358 

Gleason,    R.   E 413 

Goggin,  Thomas  Clarke 277 

8 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Gray,    Gabriel 410 

Greer,  Thomas   W 360 

Grimsley,  Aldridge  Madison 194 

Grimsley,  Milton  Robert 357 

Hall,  Ferdinand  H 162 

Hall,  William   Cauthorn 169 

Hardy,  Allen   Forrest _ 158 

Hardy,   Leslie  T 157 

Harris,    Henry    Herbert 298 

Harris,  John  W 156 

Harris,    Samuel 95 

Harris,   William    Francis 325 

Harrison,  Joseph  R 402 

Hatcheu,   Hilary    E 159 

Haynes,    James    Anthony 416 

Hill,  William  Alexander 79 

Huff,  Samuel  Poindexter 286 

Jessie,   John „ 116 

Johnson,  Thomas   Nicholas 256 

Johnston,  Peter  Butler 23 

Jolly,   W.    T 316 

Jones,   Tiberius   Gracchus 280 

Jones,   Reuben „ _ 11 

Jones,  W.  T 359 

Kent,  James  M.,  Sr 52 

Kerfoot,  Franklin  Howard 397 

Little,    A 359 

Long,  John   Cralle „ 202 

Luck,    George    P 110 

Macfee,  W.  V 51 

Manly,  Basil,  Jr 139 

Mansfield,   Joseph    A 360 

Martin,   James    Daniel 154 

Martin,  William 26 

Massey,  John    E 380 

Mason,  John   S 163 

Mason,  Samuel  Griffin _ _ 57 

McManaway,  Alexander  Gilmer 361 

McLaughlin,   J.   T 415 

Meadows,  Joel  W 380 

Merryman,  Charles  Gorsuch 221 

Moffett,  John   Roberts 83 

MoNcuRE,  W.  R.  D 372 

Moses,  Charles   Reed 413 


10  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Owen,  Reuben  R 101 

Pedigo,  William   B 108 

Perkins,  Jesse  Clopton _ 18 

Perry,    William    S 161 

Powers,   John   A 21 

Raymond,   Charles  A 409 

Raymond,  J.   E 262 

Reamy,   Robert   N _ 227 

Richardson,  John   A 362 

Rittenhouse,    David   C 356 

RoDGERS,  William   M 193 

RouTH,    Asa _ _ 346 

Ryland,  Robert 348 

Sanderson,  T.  N 374 

Sands,  Alexander   Hamilton 38 

Scott,   Azariah    Francis 313 

Slate,    William 294 

Spencer,    John _ _ 55 

Street,   W.   A 371 

Sydnor,  Thomas  W _ 71 

Taylor,  D.  G 62 

Taylor,  Edward  S 16 

Taylor,   R.    R 28 

Taylor,  Wm.   H _ 54 

Thomas,   A 386 

Thomas,  William   Dandridge 387 

TowiLL,   Mark   W 34 

Tyree,    Cornelius _ 117 

Vaiden,    Volusco 190 

Walker,  Joseph _ 263 

Wallace,   Isaac   T 104 

Whitfield,   Theodore ~ 196 

Whitescarver,  William  Aylett 339 

Williams,  J.  W.  M 199 

Williams,    Whit    B 13 

Willis,  Edward  J 134 

Willis,   John    Churchill 222 

Winfree,    David    B 47 

Winfrey,  Egbert  Bolling 102 

Woodson,    Drury   A 35 

Woodson,  William  Abel 151 

Woody ARD,    Almarine 44 

Wright,  James  Henry 137 

Wyer,  Henry  Hartstein 377 


REUBEN  JONES 

Reuben  Jones  was  born  in  Isle  of  Wight  County,  Vir- 
ginia, November  30,  1808.  In  early  manhood  he  made 
profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ  and,  entering  the  Meth- 
odist ministry,  "endured  the  hardy  toils  of  a  circuit  rider 
among  the  rugged  hills  of  Western  Tennessee."  He 
soon  found  that  by  conviction  he  was  a  Baptist,  so  join- 
ing this  denomination,  he  labored  as  a  minister  in  these 
ranks  for  some  forty  years.  While  he  was  pastor  for  a 
season  at  Helena,  Arkansas,  and  for  thirteen  years  of  the 
Cumberland  Street  Church  in  Norfolk,  his  real  life  work 
was  his  pastorate  of  the  Shoulder's  Hill  Baptist  Church 
(now^  know^n  as  Churchland),  Norfolk  County.  As  a 
preacher  and  leader  he  took  rank  in  the  Portsmouth  As- 
sociation, the  General  Association  and  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Convention,  being  in  this  last-named  body  at  the  time 
of  his  death  one  of  the  vice-presidents.  He  was  the  Poet 
Laureate  of  the  Portsmouth  Association;  w^as  for  several 
years  its  moderator  and  was  counted  its  patriarch.  Dr. 
Paul  Whitehead  says  that  in  his  later  years  "he  looked 
solid,  grave  and  good."  In  the  Herald  "Corvejon"  pic- 
tures him  'Svith  the  silvery  threads  in  his  bright  auburn 
hair,  the  twinkle  of  boyish  merriment  in  his  eye,  death- 
less youth  in  his  soul  and  a  heavenly  radiance  on  his 
face."  His  sermons  were  carefully  prepared  and  effec- 
tively delivered.  On  the  platform  he  blended  in  such 
equal  proportions  the  humorous  and  the  pathetic  that  he 
kept  his  audience  "suspended  between  a  roar  and  a  cry." 
On  August  24,  1882,  in  recognition  of  his  worth  as  a  pas- 
tor and  preacher,  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Divinity.     For  many  years  before  his  death  he 

11 


12  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

was  a  widower.  In  his  home,  a  "cottage  embowered  in 
vines  and  cedars,"  a  short  distance  from  his  church,  he 
lived  happily,  entertaining  most  hospitably  his  brethren 
who  visited  him.  He  was  one  of  the  speakers  at  an  all- 
day  Sunday  school  celebration  at  Upperville,  Virginia. 
Of  his  own  speech  he  wrote :  "Whether  that  address 
was  solemn  or  lively,  frivolous  or  instructive,  poetical  or 
otherwise,  those  readers  who  know  the  brother  must 
imagine."  He  died  December  9,  1885,  and  was  buried 
beneath  the  trees  he  had  planted  with  his  own  hands. 
Of  these  trees  he  had  said:  "These  will  be  memorials 
when  I  am  gone."  His  funeral  was  conducted  by  Rev. 
Dr.  T.  G.  Jones. 


WHIT  B.  WILLIAMS 

Not  the  least  conspicuous  thing  in  the  story  of  the 
hfe  of  Whit  B.  WilHams  is  the  legacy  of  pathos  and 
suffering  given  to  it  by  the  Civil  War.  And  we  are 
reminded  of  how  war  goes  on  in  many  of  its  awful 
consequences  after  the  treaty  of  peace  has  been  signed. 
When  will  civilized,  Christian  nations  decide  that  there 
shall  be  no  more  war?  Surely  it  is  a  bloody,  fearful 
business,  leaving  its  traces  of  sorrow  along  the  pathway 
of  men  for  years  after  the  clash  of  arms  has  ceased. 
May  the  story  of  this  Virginia  Baptist  preacher  help  to 
bring  in  the  day  when  spears  shall  be  turned  into 
pruning  hooks  and  swords  into  plowshares !  Anderson 
Williams  was  a  well-to-do  farmer  in  Campbell  County, 
Virginia.  Two  of  his  children  came  to  be  preachers  of 
the  gospel.  While  Whit,  who  was  born  February  13, 
1843,  did  not  have  early  educational  advantages,  with  a 
vigorous  mind,  he  used  every  opportunity  that  presented 
itself  for  intellectual  improvement.  His  warm  heart 
and  genial  disposition  made  him  a  favorite  at  home  and 
among  his  young  companions.  When  the  call  to  arms 
came  he  was  among  those  who  went  forth,  although  he 
had  not  yet  reached  full  manhood.  In  May,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eleventh  Virginia  Regiment. 
Scarcely  had  twelve  months  gone  by  before  this  young 
soldier  had  received  a  wound  which  was  to  give  him 
years  of  suffering,  and  finally  cause  his  death.  It  was 
on  May  5,  1862,  near  Williamsburg,  that  the  Minie 
ball,  which  was  never  to  come  out,  entered  his  left 
breast  and  lodged  under  his  left  shoulder  joint.  The 
wound,  which  sent  him  home  disabled  for  active  service, 

13 


14  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

may  be  regarded  as  the  occasion  of  his  conversion.  It 
was  while  he  was  at  home  that  he  made  a  profession  of 
his  faith  in  Christ,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  R.  E. 
Booker  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Union  Hill  Baptist 
Church,  Campbell  County,  Virginia.  At  the  time  of  his 
conversion  he  had  serious  convictions  as  to  his  duty  to 
become  a  preacher,  but  years  passed  before  the  decision 
for  the  ministry  was  made.  After  the  War  he  sought 
educational  advantages  as  best  he  could.  While  engaged 
in  teaching  vocal  music  he  attracted  the  attention  of  Rev. 
Dr.  A.  B.  Brown,  and  received  from  this  scholarly 
preacher  no  little  assistance.  After  having  spent  one 
session  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary, 
then  located  in  Greenville,  S.  C,  he  entered  the  gospel 
ministry,  and  in  1875  he  began  his  first  pastorate,  with 
the  Childrey  Church,  Halifax  County,  Dan  River  Asso- 
ciation. The  next  year  he  took  charge  of  the  Ellis  Creek 
and  the  Hunting  Creek  churches  in  the  same  Associa- 
tion. In  1878,  he  succeeded  Rev.  Dr.  A.  B.  Brown  in 
the  pastorate  of  the  Catawba  (Dan  River)  Church. 
Later  he  was  pastor  of  County  Line,  Dan  River, 
Republican  Grove,  and  Vernon  Hill  churches.  During 
his  ministry  of  something  over  ten  years  he  won  a  warm 
place  in  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom  he  was  under- 
shepherd.  His  sympathetic  nature  and  ability  to  come 
into  touch  with  people  made  him  a  favorite.  He  seemed 
never  so  happy  as  when  helping  some  poor  or  afflicted 
home.  This  had  always  been  his  way.  When  his  father 
found  him  in  the  hospital,  after  he  was  wounded,  al- 
though the  blood  was  trickling  down  his  side,  he  was 
leaning  against  the  wall  trying  to  cheer  a  fellow-sufferer 
by  telling  an  amusing  anecdote.  He  knew  and  loved 
men  and  never  was  the  weather  too  bad  for  him  to 
respond  to  a  call  for  help.  While  as  a  preacher  he  often 
failed  to  have  in  his  semions  systematic  arrangement, 


WHIT  B.  WILLIAMS  15 

yet  there  was  always  a  plain,  sound  presentation  in  a 
practical  way  of  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  He  knew 
how  to  express  himself  in  language  that  the  people  to 
whom  he  spoke  could  understand.  His  presence  was 
commanding,  his  countenance  benevolent,  and  his  voice 
musical  and  affectionate. 

For  twenty-four  years  he  carried  the  fatal  bullet. 
The  skill  of  the  most  eminent  surgeons  in  Virginia  was 
unable  to  remove  it.  Able  representatives  of  the  medical 
profession  in  Philadelphia  also  failed.  For  several  years 
before  his  death,  he  would  suffer  great  agony  for 
months  at  a  time.  No  doubt  but  for  his  splendid 
physical  development  (he  was  six  feet  tall  and  a  fine 
specimen  of  muscular  manhood),  the  wound  would  have 
cut  short  his  life  long  before  it  did.  Finally  he  took  to 
his  bed.  His  friends  hoped  he  would  rally,  but  it  was 
not  to  be  so,  and  on  March  30,  1886,  at  the  home  of  his 
father-in-law,  Col.  John  A.  McCraw,  he  passed  away. 
In  1897,  at  a  ministers'  and  laymen's  meeting,  at 
Catawba  Church,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot  by  Mr. 
R.  Hunter  Beazley  to  erect  a  monument  in  memory  of 
this  faithful  pastor.  The  undertaking  was  completely 
successful.  The  remains  were  removed  to  the  Catawba 
Church  cemetery,  and  there,  with  appropriate  services. 
in  which  Rev.  W.  J.  Shipman,  Rev.  Wm.  Hudson,  Rev. 
S.  H.  Thompson,  and  others  took  part,  the  marble  shaft 
was  unveiled.  The  occasion  brought  together  a  large 
concourse  of  people. 


EDWARD  S.  TAYLOR 

Edward  S.  Taylor,  the  son  of  Benjamin  Franklin 
Taylor,  was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Virginia,  July 
11,  1833.  His  father  was  a  highly  intelligent,  upright, 
and  influential  man,  and  his  mother,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  aimed  to  bring  up  her  children 
in  the  faith  and  practices  of  that  people.  Edward  made 
a  profession  of  religion  early  in  life,  and  became  a 
Baptist.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  sent  forth  by 
the  church  at  North  Fork,  Salem  Union  Association,  to 
preach  the  gospel.  His  ministry  began  in  the  section 
of  Virginia  that  gave  him  birth.  He  was  pastor  of  two 
churches  in  Loudoun  County;  Waterford,  in  the 
Columbia  Association,  and  Mount  Hope,  in  the  Salem 
Union.  In  1856,  he  was  working  as  a  missionary  of  the 
State  Mission  Board  in  Loudoun  and  Fairfax  counties, 
during  which  year  he  preached  135  sermons,  baptized 
twenty-two  persons,  visited  270  families,  distributed 
twenty  Bibles  and  ninety-five  volumes  of  religious  books, 
organized  four  Sunday  schools,  and  collected  $163.75 
for  the  Board;  besides,  thirty  persons  were  baptized  as 
the  result  of  protracted  meetings  in  which  he  helped 
pastors.  The  larger  part  of  his  ministry  was  given  to 
churches  in  the  southern  section  of  Virginia,  namely: 
Mount  Tirzah,  Ash  Camp,  Shiloh,  Bethel,  New  Chapel, 
in  Charlotte  County;  Spring  Creek,  in  Prince  Edward 
County;  Emmaus,  in  New  Kent  County;  Mount 
Pleasant,  in  Charles  City  County;  New  Hope,  in 
Mecklenburg  County ;  Mount  Zion,  Tussekiah,  Meherrin, 
in  Lunenburg  County ;  Jonesboro,  in  Brunswick  County, 
and  Mount  Lebanon,  in  Nottoway  County. 

16 


EDWARD  S.  TAYLOR  17 

On  June  15,  1860,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Bass, 
of  Brunswick  County.  His  widow  survived  him  with 
four  sons  and  two  daughters.  A  few  weeks  before  his 
death  a  cold  he  had  contracted  was  greatly  aggravated 
by  efforts  he  made  to  extinguish  a  fire  which  endangered 
the  house  of  a  neighbor.  After  the  fire  was  under  con- 
trol he  drank  imprudently  of  cold  water  and  bathed  his 
face  profusely.  This  brought  on  pneumonia,  which  in 
ten  days  took  typhoid  form.  For  eight  days  he  suffered 
intensely,  most  of  the  time  wild  with  delirium,  some- 
times singing,  sometimes  praying,  sometimes  preaching. 
Before  the  end,  his  delirium  left  him,  but  he  was  too 
weak  to  speak  out  of  a  whisper,  and  so  he  passed  away 
quietly  and  peacefully.  Rev.  Dr.  T.  W.  Sydnor  says  of 
him  that  he  was  humble,  unassuming,  meek,  mild, 
simple-hearted  and  artless  as  a  child,  unselfish,  obliging, 
benignant,  hospitable,  and  generous  to  a  fault.  He  died 
in  Charlotte  County,  Virginia,  April  28,  1886. 


JESSE  CLOPTON  PERKINS 

The  story  of  the  Hfe  of  Jesse  Clopton  Perkins  might 
well  be  made  the  text  for  remarks  upon  how  God  moves 
in  a  mysterious  way;  upon  how  lives  that  seem  past 
redemptioil  and  noble  service  can  yet  be  transformed 
and  glorified,  and  upon  how  little  children  may  lead 
their  elders  to  higher  things.  These  and  other  inspiring 
thoughts  suggest  themselves  as  this  life  is  contemplated. 
But  let  this  life  story  preach  its  own  sermon.  He  was 
born  in  Henry  County,  Virginia,  March  14,  1822.  His 
early  years  were  not  rich  in  educational  or  religious 
advantages.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  some  five 
years  of  age  and  with  no  education  save  the  barest  rudi- 
ments, as  given  by  the  country  schools  of  that  day,  he 
reached  his  majority  and  entered  business.  His  own 
testimony  proves  that  he  was  "profane,  desperately 
wicked,  and  thoroughly  worldly-minded."  In  after  years, 
however,  when  he  remembered  "the  sins  of  his  youth," 
it  gave  him  comfort  to  recall  the  fact  that  he  had  never 
been  a  slave  to  drink.  In  1844,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Jane  Fleming,  who,  though  possessed  of  traits  of  char- 
acter that  were  to  be  developed  under  the  power  of  the 
gospel  so  as  to  render  her  most  useful  in  an  important 
sphere,  was  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  not  a  Christian. 
For  eleven  years  their  married  life  went  on  without  the 
leaven  of  the  gospel  in  their  hearts  and  home.  As  the 
children,  who  had  been  born  to  them,  grew,  his  thoughts 
became  more  serious,  and  he  found  that  he  was  unwill- 
ing for  his  little  ones,  at  least,  to  go  on  without  religious 
influences.  So  he  took  them  to  the  Sunday  school  week 
by  week.     Finally  a  meeting  began  in  the  community. 

18 


JESSE  CLOPTON  PERKINS       19 

Sunday  he  would  not  go,  but  Monday  he  could  not  stay 
away.  He  laid  aside  his  business  and  invited  his  wife 
to  go  with  him.  During  the  service,  both  asked  for 
prayer,  being  under  deep  conviction.  The  next  day  his 
serious  thoughts  seemed  to  have  vanished.  A  severe 
storm,  however,  caused  him  to  seek  shelter  at  the  house, 
and  there  he  found  his  wife  in  deep  distress.  He  took 
down  the  Bible  and  opened  at  the  sixth  chapter  of  John, 
and  soon  they  were  partaking  of  that  bread  which  came 
down  from  heaven  wdiereof  if  a  man  eat  he  shall  live 
forever.  The  next  day  both  of  them  were  baptized  into 
the  fellowship  of  the  Fine  Creek  Church,  Powhatan 
County,  whose  pastor  was  Rev.  C.  Tyree.  Very  soon 
he  was  conducting  prayer-meetings  and  talking  in  psblic 
for  Jesus.  Almost  before  he  knew  it,  he  glided  into  the 
ministry. 

To  enter  the  ministry  at  the  age  of  thirty-four,  wath 
no  special  preparation  for  the  work,  w^as  certainly  com- 
mencing an  arduous  task  with  a  serious  handicap.  Yet 
after  his  removal  to  Cumberland,  a  year  before,  he  had 
been  a  hard  student  of  the  Bible.  While  his  mind  was 
not  trained  it  was  naturally  strong,  and  he  never  forgot 
the  pit  from  w^hich  he  had  been  lifted.  Upon  his  ordi- 
nation he  entered  fully  into  his  work  as  a  minister,  be- 
coming a  practical,  impressive,  and  earnest  preacher,  and 
a  bold  defender  of  Baptist  doctrines.  In  the  course  of 
his  ministry  he  was  pastor  of  Cumberland,  Forks  of 
Willis,  and  Tarwallet  churches,  in  the  James  River 
Association.  He  was  earnest  in  his  w^ork,  his  holy 
ambition  being  to  serve  God  as  faithfully  for  the  rest 
of  his  life  as  he  had  served  the  devil  before  his  con- 
version. 

In  the  hour  of  his  death  a  hope  that  he  had  often 
expressed  was  realized.  On  Sunday,  September  19, 
1886,  he  went  to  Tarwallet  to  preach  to  the  people  whom 


20  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

he  loved  so  well.  His  sermon  had  been  prepared  during 
the  foregoing  week  and  was  designed  to  help  young- 
converts,  a  number  of  whom  he  expected  to  baptize  that 
day.  A  large  congregation  had  gathered.  A  hymn  had 
been  sung  and  he  had  offered  a  prayer.  As  he  was  read- 
ing the  passage  where  his  text  was  found  he  threw  his 
hand  to  his  head  with  an  exclamation  indicating  pain. 
He  seemed  to  rally,  but  a  moment  later  staggered,  fell 
heavily  to  the  floor,  and  expired  instantly.  He  had 
wished  to  die  "in  the  harness  and  in  the  pulpit."  On 
Tuesday,  September  21st,  his  body  was  laid  to  rest  in 
the  graveyard  of  Forks  of  Willis  Church,  Cumberland 
County,  of  which  church  he  was  a  member  and  also 
pastor  at  the  time  of  his  death.  A  large  crowd  gathered 
around  the  grave  and  there  were  few  who  were  not 
weeping  as  the  singers  sang: 

"Servant  of  God,  well  done, 

Rest  from  thy  loved  employ; 
The  battle  fought,  the  victory  won, 
Enter  thy  Master's  joy." 


JOHN  A.  POWERS* 

It  is  not  hard  to  read  God's  providential  plan  in  the 
long  and  pious  life  of  a  useful  minister  of  the  gospel. 
To  understand  why  one  whose  life  promised  usefulness, 
when  his  proclamation  of  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation 
had  just  begun,  should  be  cut  off,  is  more  difficult.  Yet 
we  know  that  this  and  all  other  mysteries  of  God's 
grace  can  wait,  while  we  trust,  until  we  know  even  as 
also  we  are  known.  John  A.  Powers  was  born  in  King 
and  Queen  County,  Virginia,  in  December,  1856.  When 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  was  baptized.  His  narrowness 
of  means  made  his  course  at  Richmond  College,  even 
with  the  assistance  of  the  Education  Board,  far  from 
easy.  In  the  summer  of  1878,  during  the  meeting  of  the 
Middle  District  Association,  an  unusual  arrangement 
was  made.  The  church  at  Matoaca,  a  mill  village  near 
Petersburg,  was  extremely  weak,  yet  they  wished  for 
preaching.  A  delegate  from  the  church  met  Mr. 
Powers,  and  learned  of  his  desire  to  go  on  with  his  work 
at  the  college,  and  also  of  his  impecuniosity.  The 
church  agreed  to  pay  the  young  man's  traveling  ex- 
penses if  he  would  come  and  preach  for  them,  with  the 
understanding  that  if  the  cause  prospered  they  would 
pay  him  whatever  salary,  within  their  power,  they 
thought  his  services  worth.  So  the  church  and  the 
studies  went  on.  His  ministry  was  blessed,  and  the 
salary  the  first  year  was  one  hundred  dollars,  besides 
which,  in  many  little  ways,  the  people  added  to  his  com- 
fort at  college.     After  another  year  his  ordination  took 

*Based  on  article  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Pitcher,  in  Religious  Herald, 
Februarj-  3,  1887. 

21 


22  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

place  in  the  midst  of  a  people  who  had  learned  to  love 
their  student-pastor.  He  now  was  pastor  also  at  Gill's 
Grove,  another  church  in  the  Middle  District  Associa- 
tion, and  the  outlook  seemed  to  be  brightening.  Yet  it 
was  not  so  to  be.  An  attack  of  pneumonia  in  April,  led 
to  tubercular  trouble  of  the  lungs ;  in  September  he 
resigned  his  churches,  his  great  weakness  making  it 
necessary  for  him  to  read  his  last  sermon  at  Matoaca, 
the  last  he  ever  preached.  Now  began  a  battle  for  life. 
He  went  to  Giles  County  and  taught  a  school,  and  later 
sought  the  gentler  climate  of  Florida,  where  again  he 
worked  in  the  school-room.  The  situation  was  desper- 
ate, and,  returning  to  Virginia,  he  found  a  home  and 
great  kindness  under  the  roof  of  Mr.  J.  W.  Whitehorne, 
in  Petersburg.  He  visited  his  former  flock  at  Matoaca, 
and  his  mother's  old  home,  and  attended  the  Dover  Asso- 
ciation, at  West  Point.  He  attempted  to  go  home  once 
more,  but  upon  reaching  Petersburg  was  so  weak  that 
he  could  go  no  further.  Kind  hands  helped  him,  and 
the  last  days  were  spent  in  the  Whitehorne  home.  Here 
he  was  visited  by  the  Petersburg  ministers  and  by  Rev. 
S.  C.  Clopton.  He  passed  away  on  November  6,  1886. 
The  funeral  took  place  at  Colosse  Church,  the  sermon 
being  preached  by  Rev.  S.  C.  Clopton,  and  the  burial 
was  in  the  graveyard  of  the  Mattaponi  Church,  King 
and  Queen  County,  where  his  ancestors  sleep  their  last 
sleep.  After  his  ordination,  but  before  he  had  had  the 
privilege  of  burying  any  one  in  baptism,  at  the  age  of 
thirty,  he  had  fallen  on  sleep. 

"Here  rests  his  head  upon  the  lap  of  earth; 
A  youth  to  fortune  and  to  fame  unknown." 


PETER  BUTLER  JOHNSTON 

Peter  B.  Johnston,  one  of  three  sons,  was  born  on 
Christmas  Day,  1803.  His  mother  was  Anne  O.  Nash, 
daughter  of  John  Nash,  of  Prince  Edward  County,  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  that  county  and  a  man  of  promi- 
nence. His  father  was  a  man  of  means,  Andrew  John- 
ston, son  of  Peter  Johnston,  who  came  to  this  country 
from  Scotland  early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  settled  in 
Prince  Edward  County,  and  gave  the  land  on  which 
Hampden-Sidney  College  now  stands.  His  purpose  was 
to  give  his  sons  the  best  educational  advantages,  but  his 
death,  when  his  son  Peter  was  some  seven  years  old, 
frustrated  this  plan.  Yet  as  two  of  his  sons  were  for 
some  time  school-teachers  and  finally  preachers,  while  the 
third  brother,  Edward,  was  at  one  time  Judge  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  of  the  district  in  which  he  lived,  it  would  seem 
that  their  education  was  by  no  means  neglected.  John 
Nash,  who  was  older  than  Peter  B.,  was,  as  a  youth,  for 
some  years  in  business  in  Richmond,  when  he  fell  into 
dissipated  habits  which  threatened  to  ruin  him.  Finally 
he  was  converted  and  became  a  useful  minister  of  the 
gospel ;  a  sketch  of  him  is  found  in  the  second  series  of 
Taylor's  "Lives  of  Virginia  Baptist  Ministers."  These 
sons  were  reared  with  gentleness,  enjoying  the  advan- 
tages of  cultivated  society. 

At  the  call  of  the  Buchanan  Baptist  Church,  he  was 
ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry,  the  presbytery  consist- 
ing of  A.  C.  Dempsey,  John  B.  Lee,  J.  P.  Corron,  and 
E.  L.  Mason.  While  Mr.  Johnston  was  never  a  pastor, 
his  preaching  was  inspirational.  While  he  gave  his  time 
mainly  to  teaching  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays,  he  would 

23 


24  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

preach  as  a  supply  or  in  destitute  localities  in  his  section 
of  country.  For  many  years  his  name  appears  in  the 
General  Association  Minutes  list  of  preachers,  his 
post-office  being  Lone  Pine.  Rev.  Gabriel  Gray,  who 
knew  Mr.  Johnston  well,  and  was  often  in  his  home,  gave 
a  pleasant  pen  picture  of  his  friend  and  his  home  in 
the  Religious  Herald,  of  January  13,  1887.  On  this 
sketch  what  follows  is  based.  Having  made  a  failure 
in  the  business  to  which  he  first  gave  his  attention,  Mr. 
Johnston  soon  took  up  the  work  of  school  teaching,  in 
which  career  he  was  a  decided  success.  His  training  of 
young  men  for  life  was  faithfully  and  conscientiously 
performed,  his  example  being  a  model  they  might  well 
copy.  While  teaching  other  people's  children  his  own 
were  carefully  tended.  In  his  home  love  and  devotion 
reigned  supreme.  He  knew  the  art  of  making  home 
attractive.  He  was  twice  married  and  there  were 
children  born  of  each  wife.  His  first  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  married,  December  30,  1834,  was  Mary  A.  Higgin- 
botham;  his  second  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  Sept. 
1,  1857,  was  Helen  M.  Finney.  After  the  death  of  his 
second  wife  for  twelve  years  he  sought  as  best  he  could 
to  care  for  his  children.  He  had  the  joy  of  seeing  them 
all  earnest,  useful  Christians.  Into  his  home  his  friends 
and  acquaintances  came  as  into  a  place  of  genial  warmth 
and  sunshine.  The  greater  part  of  his  life  was  passed 
in  Bedford  and  Botetourt  Counties.  The  last  years  of 
his  life  were  spent  in  the  home  of  his  son,  John  H. 
Johnston,  of  Christiansburg.  A  few  years  before  his 
death  he  had  a  severe  fall,  which  left  him  a  cripple  for 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  great  sufferer,  but  bore  his 
sufferings  with  fortitude  and  patience.  One  of  his 
daughters  was  with  him  constantly,  ministering  to  his 
wants  with  peculiar  tenderness  and  affection,  while  others 
of  the  children  came  in  from  time  to  time  to  cheer  him. 


PETER  BUTLER  JOHNSTON      25 

Thus  he  died  in  the  midst  of  affection  and  love,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1886.  In  early  life  Mr.  Johnston  united  with  the 
Episcopal  Church,  where  he  was  quite  an  active  worker. 
An  examination  of  the  Scriptures  led  him  to  become  a 
Baptist.  While  he  was  a  preacher,  his  interest  in 
Sunday-school  work  was  great.  He  would  often  forego 
the  pleasure  of  the  preaching  service  in  order  that  he 
might  help  forward  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school. 
His  life  reached  out  to  fourscore  years  and  four. 


WILLIAM  MARTIN 

Quite  often  the  annals  of  the  Virginia  Baptist 
ministry  tell  of  men  who  have  gone  from  the  profession 
of  medicine  to  the  work  of  the  preacher  and  pastor.  It 
was  the  case  with  William  Martin,  who  was  born  in 
Loudoun  County,  Virginia,  August,  1812.  He  was  one 
of  nine  children.  One  of  his  sisters  was  the  wife  of 
Rev.  Littleberry  W.  Allen,  a  well-known  Baptist 
minister.  Dr.  Martin  married  Miss  Ann  Edwards 
Vaiden,  of  New  Kent  County,  Virginia,  and  to  them 
were  born  four  children.  He  began,  in  early  life,  the 
practice  of  medicine,  and  was  very  popular  as  a  phy- 
sician. He  abandoned,  however,  this  work,  since  his 
health  was  not  good,  and  depended  for  his  support  upon 
his  farm,  which  was  a  fine  one.  He  had  been  reared  in 
the  Episcopal  Church,  but  upon  his  conversion,  having 
read  and  studied  carefully  the  New  Testament,  he  be- 
came a  most  decided  Baptist,  uniting  with  the  James 
City  Baptist  Church,  of  which  body  he  was  a  member  to 
the  end  of  his  Hfe.  In  1850,  he  began  to  preach.  The 
Williamsburg  and  James  City  churches  were  the  only 
flocks  to  which  he  ever  ministered.  During  1877,  1878, 
and  1879,  and  again  in  1883,  he  was  pastor  at  Williams- 
burg. Doubtless  at  other  periods,  whose  record  does 
not  now  remain,  he  was  pastor  in  the  town  which  was 
once  the  capital  of  the  Old  Dominion.  He  has  been 
described  as  a  pastor  ad  interim  of  churches,  a  suggestive 
title.  He  also  preached  often  at  the  Eastern  Lunatic 
Asylum,  which  is  located  in  Williamsburg.  He  some- 
times assisted  in  protracted-meeting  work,  and  was  in 
great  demand  for  ordination  services  of  preachers  and 
deacons.  He  was  an  unusually  strong  and  clear  definer 
of  the  distinctive  principles  of  Baptists,  and  as  a  plat- 
form speaker  was  ready,  pointed,  practical,  and 
humorous.     He  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  a  noble 

26 


WILLIAM  MARTIN  27 

old  Virginia  gentleman,  and  his  life  was  adorned  by  the 
Christian  graces.  The  Civil  War  reduced  him  to 
poverty-  One  night  he  saw  his  large  house,  with  all  his 
household  goods,  burned  to  ashes  by  some  Federal 
soldiers.  Yet  his  cheerfulness  and  faith  remained. 
During  his  last  illness,  which  lasted  some  months,  his 
daughter  was  reading  to  him  one  day  in  Geikie's  "Life 
of  Christ."  With  tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks  he 
said:  "If  I  could  preach  again,  how  I  would  tell  people 
of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  for  us  poor  sinners,  as  I  now 
see  them,  and  of  heaven  as  it  now  opens  up  before  me ! 
I  see  these  things  more  clearly  than  I  ever  saw  them 
before."  He  asked  Rev.  J.  H.  Barnes  to  preach  his 
funeral,  saying  that  he  knew  him  better  than  any  one 
else.  From  an  article  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Barnes, 
in  the  Religious  Herald,  the  facts  and  language  of  this 
sketch  are  largely  taken.  Dr.  Martin  died  December 
15,  1886. 

DAVID  COULLING 

David  Coulling  was  born  in  Richmond,  July  23,  1814, 
and  died  in  Baltimore,  December  28,  1886.  During  a 
large  part  of  his  life  he  practiced  dentistry  and  preached 
as  occasion  offered.  He  was  pastor  in  Goldsboro,  N.  C. ; 
in  Richmond,  at  what  is  now  Pine  Street  Church ;  in  Ac- 
comac,  and  more  recently  in  King  and  Queen  and 
Gloucester  Counties,  the  last  named  being  his  place  of 
residence  after  1860.  While  in  the  Rappahannock  Asso- 
ciation he  was  pastor  for  several  years  of  the  Poroporone 
Church.  This  sketch  is  in  substance  the  obituary  from 
General  Association  minutes  for  1887.  He  was  espe- 
cially gifted  in  prayer  and  his  ministry  was  blessed  with 
many  conversions.  A  strong  faith  in  the  atonement  up- 
held him  through  the  feeble  health  of  earlier  years  and 


R.  R.  TAYLOR 

In  another  part  of  this  volume  will  be  found  a  sketch 
of  Rev.  Daniel  G.  Taylor.  As  there  appears,  he  was  the 
father  of  four  preachers.  The  name  of  the  youngest  of 
these  sons  stands  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  He  was  con- 
verted at  the  age  of  thirteen,  and  from  that  time  was 
active  in  Sunday-school  and  other  forms  of  church 
work.  While  he  did  not  receive  a  thorough  education, 
he  was  a  diligent  student,  and  well  versed  in  the 
Scriptures.  He  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry, 
and  had  as  his  first  charge  the  Blackberry  Church,  Blue 
Ridge  Association.  In  October,  1883,  he  was  called  to 
a  field  in  the  Valley  Association,  composed  of  these 
churches :  Cave  Spring,  Mount  Pleasant,  Laurel  Ridge, 
Blue  Ridge.  In  less  than  three  years  his  health  so  gave 
away  that  he  could  not  preach  any  longer.  In  1884,  he 
had  married  Miss  Alice  Sublett,  of  Cave  Spring,  and  of 
this  union  one  child  was  born.  His  death  occurred 
April  30,  1887,  when  he  was  some  twenty-nine  years  of 
age.  He  was  a  man  of  piety  and  unyielding  integrity. 
His  preaching  was  scriptural  and  forcible. 


28 


SOLOMON  CHARLES  BOSTON 

While  Maryland  was  the  birthplace  of  Solomon 
Charles  Boston,  since  his  mother  and  wife  were  Vir- 
ginians and  since  he  held  five  different  pastorates  in  Vir- 
ginia, the  Old  Dominion  has  claims  upon  him.  At  the 
old  homestead,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Pocomoke  River, 
in  Somerset  County,  he  first  saw  the  light.  When  a  boy, 
one  day  as  he  was  hunting  chestnuts  the  falling  of  a  burr 
deprived  him,  for  life,  of  one  eye.  After  his  union,  when 
a  boy,  with  the  Rehoboth  Baptist  Church,  his  baptism  tak- 
ing place  in  the  Rehoboth  mill  pond,  and  after  his  work 
at  the  neighborhood  schools,  he  attended  Richmond  Col- 
lege and  then  Columbian  College,  where  he  graduated 
in  1845.  While  working  as  a  missionary  for  the  Mary- 
land Mission  Board  he  married  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Nock, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Wm.  D.  Marshall,  a  deacon  of  the 
Chincoteague  Baptist  Church.  As  a  pastor  in  Maryland, 
at  Rehoboth,  his  mother  church,  and  other  points,  he  en- 
countered the  coolness,  not  to  say  opposition,  which  the 
Baptist  cause  in  that  day  had  to  endure  in  that  state. 
While  at  Reboboth  he  organized  a  Baptist  church  in  the 
village  of  Vienna.  Later,  Rehoboth  and  Pitt's  Creek 
churches,  with  the  Pocomoke  River  between  them,  con- 
stituted his  field.  As  his  appointments  came  he  was  fer- 
ried across  the  river  by  his  members,  ever  faithful  in 
keeping  his  engagements.  While  on  this  field  he  was  a 
Baptist  pioneer  in  Pocomoke  City,  or  New  Town,  as  it 
was  then  called.  This  work  was  begun  in  the  face  of 
much  opposition.  He  preached  for  a  year  in  the  Tem- 
perance Hall  and  then  in  the  Old  Academy.  So  decided 
was  his  success  that  a  meeting-house  was  erected  which 

29 


30  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

before  the  dedication  exercises  were  over  was  free  of 
debt.  His  Virginia  pastorates  were  Red  Bank  and  Lower 
Northampton  Churches,  Northampton  County ;  the  Sec- 
ond Church,  Petersburg ;  Farmville ;  Bruington,  King 
and  Queen  County ;  Onancock,  Accomac  County.  Other 
pastorates  held  were  Lee  Street,  Baltimore,  and  French- 
town,  New  Jersey,  and  then  a  second  time  in  Pocomoke 
City;  here  his  life  closed  on  June  15,  1887. 

Gentle  blood  ran  in  his  veins ;  his  mother  was  Enatia 
Byrd,  a  descendant  of  William  Byrd,  of  "Westover." 
His  was  a  social  nature;  he  loved  the  companionship  of 
his  friends  and  was  a  good  talker.  He  was  faithful. 
Wind  and  cold  did  not  keep  him  from  his  appointments, 
and  such  remarks  as  these  from  his  members  show  in 
what  esteem  he  was  held :  "He  always  prepares  well" ; 
"Touch  Charles  Boston  and  you  touch  me." 

He  was  married  twice,  his  second  wife  being  Miss 
Mary  Elizabeth  Britton.  Of  this  second  marriage  there 
were  born  a  son  and  a  daughter.  The  only  child  of  the 
first  marriage  was  Francis  Ryland  Boston,  for  so  many 
years  an  honored  pastor  in  Virginia. 


WILLIAM  A.  BAYNHAM 

Every  life,  if  it  were  wholly  known,  would  present 
interesting  features  all  its  own.  Certainly  the  story  of 
Wm.  A.  Baynham  presents  several  striking  and  unusual 
experiences.  He  was  born  of  wealthy  and  cultured 
parents,  and  enjoyed  the  best  educational  advantages. 
When  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  received  his 
M.  D.  degree,  then  spent  two  years  in  the  schools  and 
hospitals  in  Philadelphia,  and,  in  1837,  began  the  practice 
of  medicine  in  Essex  County.  While  there  was  every 
prospect  for  success  in  his  chosen  profession,  he  soon 
abandoned  it  to  give  his  whole  time  to  the  management 
of  his  large  patrimony  of  land  and  slaves.  He  desired 
to  manumit  his  slaves,  but  was  persuaded  by  friends 
not  to  do  so;  afterwards  he  regretted  that  he  had 
yielded  to  their  advice.  In  the  summer  of  1834,  at  a 
camp-meeting  in  Lancaster  County,  he  was  awakened 
to  think  about  spiritual  things,  and  soon  afterwards, 
under  the  preaching  of  the  elder  Andrew  Broaddus,  at 
Enon,  Essex  County,  was  converted.  For  months  after 
his  conversion  he  never  heard  the  name  of  Jesus  with- 
out tears.  He  first  joined  the  Episcopal  Church,  but 
afterwards,  having  given  the  subject  careful  investiga- 
tion, he  sought  baptism  at  the  hands  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Gillette,  of  Philadelphia,  and  united  with  the  Baptists. 
Upon  his  return  home  he  joined  the  Enon  Baptist 
Church,  Essex  County,  soon  becoming  quite  active  in  its 
work.  It  was  not  long  before  he  was  found  preaching 
occasionally,  and  in  September,  1841,  he  was  ordained 
at  Enon,  the  presbytery  consisting  of  Elders  A. 
Broaddus  and  J.  Bird.     On  Saturday  before  the  second 

31 


32  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Lord's  Day,  1842,  he  became  pastor  of  Enon,  in  which 
relationship  he  continued  until  his  death,  a  period  of 
some  forty-three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1854,  he  became 
pastor  of  the  Upper  Zion  Church,  Caroline  County, 
this  union,  not  broken  save  by  a  brief  interim  in  1860, 
and  by  death,  lasted  some  thirty-three  years.  This  is 
indeed  a  wonderful  record.  In  1880,  the  Religions 
Herald  published  a  number  of  letters  from  ministers  in 
the  State,  who  had  had  long  pastorates.  In  his  letter 
Dr.  Baynham  said:  "...  The  real  ground  of  my 
continuance  for  so  long  a  period  as  pastor  of  my  two 
churches  has  been  our  strong  mutual  love.  ...  In 
my  position  as  pastor  I  have  from  the  first  endeavored 
to  be  one  with  my  charge.  I  have  tried  to  show  myself 
the  friend.  I  have  visited  them  freely,  familiarly,  and 
much.  The  children  have  had  a  good  share  of  attention. 
In  affliction  I  have  been  prompt  and  attentive,  ready  to 
render  personal  assistance  as  necessary.  One  rule  has  been 
unvaried  with  me :  not  only  not  to  neglect  the  poor,  but 
to  show  them  all  kindness  and  attention.  My  social  rela- 
tions I  choose  for  myself — my  kindness  and  affection 
for  my  church  members  is  rendered  to  all  without  caste 
distinction.  .  .  .  I  never  scold.  ...  I  avoid 
repeating  what  I  hear  in  families,  and  hence  have  inti- 
macy of  association.  .  .  .  My  habit  is  daily  to  pray 
for  all  my  flocks  and  for  many  individually.  ...  I 
have  a  list  made  off  into  three  classes:  1.  Families;  2. 
Those  who  are  Christians — names  of  same;  3.  Uncon- 
verted— named  personally.  Instead  of  going  over  them 
by  name  in  prayer  the  paper  is  presented  before  God, 
each  class  separately.  In  addition,  special  cases  named. 
This  list  is  particularly  designed  for  Sabbath,  but  not 
restricted  to  this.  .  .  .  Another  item  for  friends, 
enemies,  acquaintances,  neighbors,  relations,  members  of 
my  churches,  and  servants  I  have  had." 


WILLIAM  A.  BAYNHAM  33 

His  power  seems  to  have  been  because  of  his  piety, 
his  pastoral  work,  and  his  genial  personaHty.  "He  was 
not,"  says  Dr.  Broaddus,  "an  attractive  speaker.  His 
voice  was  harsh,  his  articulation  sometimes  indistinct, 
his  gestures  ungraceful,  and  for  so  intellectual  a  man 
his  sermons  were  frequently  singularly  obscure  and 
involved,  yet  he  commanded  good  congregations,  and 
was  heard  with  respect  and  attention."  To  a  wonderful 
degree  he  obeyed  the  injunction  that  we  speak  evil  of  no 
man.  He  was  scrupulously  conscientious.  Through- 
out the  day,  however  employed,  he  cultivated  an  un- 
broken sense  of  the  presence  of  God.  In  so  trivial  a 
matter  as  picking  up  a  pin  he  called  to  mind  the  lan- 
guage of  Hagar :  "Thou  God  seest  me."  He  was  most 
refined,  courteous,  polite,  and  at  the  same  time  timid 
and  diffident. 

Dr.  Baynham  was  never  married.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion that  "once  he  wooed  the  fickle  goddess  and  she  dis- 
appointed him,"  and  that  never  did  he  have  the  courage 
to  try  again  his  chances  in  the  court  of  love.  He  was 
counted  among  the  preachers  of  the  Rappahannock  Asso- 
ciation, in  his  day,  as  the  beloved  John.  His  death  w^as 
tragic.  On  the  16th  of  June,  1887,  when  he  was  some 
seventy- four  years  of  age,  he  set  out  against  the 
remonstrances  of  friends,  to  pay  a  promised  visit.  On 
the  way.  either  overcome  by  the  heat,  or  stricken  by 
disease,  he  slipped  down  into  the  foot  of  his  buggy  and 
died,  alone  with  God,  or  as  Dr.  H.  M.  Wharton  described 
the  event :  "The  angels  met  him  on  the  road  and  bore 
him  up  to  the  realms  of  bliss." 


MARK  W.  TOWILL 

The  brevity  of  the  sketch  which  follows  does  not 
prove  that  the  life  described  was  uninteresting  or  barren. 
It  rather  gives  evidence  of  inadequate  means  to  preserve 
records  of  pastors  and  churches.  However  fragmentary 
human  records  are,  and  however  forgetful  men  are  of 
earnest  labor,  God's  records  are  accurate,  and  his 
approval  of  all  faithful  service  sure.  Mark  W.  Towill 
was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Virginia,  August  12, 
1817.  He  seems  to  have  begun  his  work  as  pastor  of 
Matthews  Church,  in  1855.  Under  his  leadership  it 
grew  and  prospered.  In  1855,  the  church  reported 
twenty-seven  baptisms,  and  a  membership  of  501.  From 
1876  to  1879,  he  was  the  pastor  of  Zoar  Church,  in 
the  Rappahannock  Association.  In  the  fellowship  of 
this  church  he  died,  "regretted  by  all,  July  18,  1887." 


34 


DRURY  A.  WOODSON 

Since  to-day  Buckingham  County,  with  its  many 
spacious  and  handsome  homes,  has  great  stretches  of 
forests,  where  the  deer  still  range,  what  must  it  have 
been  in  1835?  In  this  county  and  in  this  year,  on 
November  20th,  Drury  A.  Woodson  first  saw  the  light. 
Many  boys  reared  in  pious  homes  have  played  preaching 
in  their  early  days.  So  it  was  with  Drury.  His 
brothers  and  sisters  were  his  hearers,  and  in  a  meeting 
which  he  held  under  a  cherry  tree,  his  converts.  Nor 
did  he  stop  here ;  he  baptized  them.  When  some 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  made  a  profession  of  religion. 
He  had  as  a  tutor  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  from  this  training  at  home  he  passed  to  Rich- 
mond College.  His  studies  in  Richmond  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  rude  blast  of  war,  and  for  several  years 
he  was  schoolmaster  at  Clover  Hill,  the  place  now 
famous  the  world  over  as  "Appomattox  Court-House." 
His  school  was  almost  broken  up  when  the  imperative 
necessity  the  Confederacy  had  for  men  caused  the  lower- 
ing of  the  limit  for  military  service  from  eighteen  to 
sixteen  years  of  age.  One  day  thirteen  of  his  scholars 
left  him  to  go  to  the  War.  At  the  close  of  the  War  he 
moved  to  Prince  Edward,  where  he  took  charge  of  the 
Sandy  River  Church  Academy,  and  preached,  assisting 
Rev.  Daniel  Witt,  at  Sandy  River,  Jamestown  and  Notto- 
way churches.  From  here  he  moved  to  the  Eastern  Shore 
of  Virginia  (having  married,  September  30,  1866, 
Miss  Ella  S.  Bruce,  of  Prince  Edward  County),  where  he 
lived  some  years,  serving  in  this  time  the  following 
churches,  that  are  members  of  the  Accomac  Association: 
Bethel,  Zion,  Modesttown,  Onancock,  and  Pungoteague. 

35 


36  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

From  the  Eastern  Shore,  having  been  for  about  a  year 
pastor  in  Sussex  (Shiloh  and  Newville  churches),  he 
moved  to  North  CaroHna,  and  was  pastor,  first  at  Mocks- 
ville  and  then  at  Murfreesboro,  for  some  six  years. 
While  in  Sussex  his  wife  died,  July  7,  1873,  and  on 
February  1,  1877,  he  married  Miss  Emma  W.  Bruce,  a 
sister  of  his  first  wife.  Upon  his  return,  on  March  1, 
1887,  to  Virginia,  he  settled  at  Kempsville,  Princess 
Anne  County,  taking  charge  of  Kempsville,  Centerville, 
and  Salem  churches.  In  June,  1887,  he  was  attacked 
by  malarial  fever,  and,  upon  advice  of  the  physician, 
went  to  Prince  Edward  County.  Disease,  however, 
followed  him,  and  on  August  11th  he  passed  the  way  of 
all  the  earth.  He  was  a  man  of  stalwart  frame  and 
handsome  appearance,  and,  while  not  an  attractive 
preacher  in  all  respects,  was  an  efficient,  useful  man  of 
God.  His  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  W.  F. 
Kone,  from  the  words :  "I  would  not  live  always," 
Job  7:16. 


HOSEA  CROWDER 

Human  lives  are  most  interesting,  but  often  time  is 
lacking  to  study  them,  and  full  records  to  make  them 
known.  Doubtless  throughout  eternity,  if  earthly 
affairs  then  interest  us,  we  shall  talk  over  the  detailed 
story  of  many  a  loved  one,  friend  and  acquaintance. 
The  presence  of  an  unusual  Biblical  name  raises  the 
question  as  to  whether  the  parents  were  devout,  and 
whether  this  certain  character  especially  appealed  to 
them.  The  life  of  Hosea  Crowder,  extending  over  some 
seventy-eight  years,  covered  a  large  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  He  was  born  and  lived  all  his  life  in  Dinwiddie 
County.  In  1829,  he  was  born  again,  and,  in  1831,  was 
baptized  by  Elder  William  Hyde,  pastor  of  Mount 
Pleasant  Church.  On  September  16,  1843,  he  was 
ordained  to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  and  suc- 
ceeded Elder  Hyde  as  pastor.  Of  this  Mount  Pleasant 
Church,  now  known  as  Central,  he  was  pastor  twice: 
from  September  30,  1843,  to  the  close  of  1853,  and  from 
June  15.  1856,  until  the  close  of  1874,  with  the  exception 
of  the  year  1867.  He  was  also  pastor  of  Shiloh  (Prince 
George),  Matoaca  (Chesterfield),  and  Cut  Banks  (Din- 
widdie). It  is  thought  by  some  that  his  most  useful 
service  was  that  given  to  the  Guilfield  Colored  Baptist 
Church,  Petersburg,  to  which  he  ministered  for  some 
years  before  and  during  the  War.  For  some  time  he 
was  the  only  resident  Baptist  pastor  in  the  County  of 
Dinwiddie,  outside  of  Petersburg.  While  not  highly 
educated,  he  was  a  man  of  excellent  sense  and  good 
preaching  ability,  while  his  piety  was  proverbial.  He 
was  greatly  gifted  in  public  prayer,  large  congregations 
being  sometimes  melted  down  under  his  appropriate  and 
fervent  addresses  to  the  throne  of  grace.  He  was  twice 
married  and  was  the  father  of  a  large  household.  He 
died  November  25,  1887,  and  a  memorial  address  con- 
cerning him  was  delivered  at  Central  [Mount  Pleasant] 
Church,  by  Dr.  T.  W.  Sydnor,  on  the  text:  "A  good 
soldier  of  Jesus  Christ." 

37 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON  SANDS 

There  have  been  men  who  were  first  ministers  of  the 
gospel  and  then  became  lawyers,  and  others  who  were 
lawyers  and  gave  up  the  bar  to  enter  the  pulpit,  "but  the 
story  which  follows  is  of  one  who  was  through  a  large 
part  of  his  life  both  a  lawyer  and  a  preacher,  and,  as 
will  be  seen,  was  successful  along  both  of  these  lines 
of  work. 

Alexander  Hamilton  Sands  was  born  in  the  historic 
town  of  Williamsburg,  the  ancient  capital  of  Virginia, 
on  May  2,  1828,  being  the  youngest  son  of  Thomas 
Sands.  He  received  his  collegiate  training  at  William 
and  Mary  College,  that  venerable  seat  of  learning,  where 
Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Marshall,  John  Randolph, 
George  Wythe,  and  other  famous  men,  had  been  stu- 
dents, but  his  career  at  college  was  cut  short  by  the 
death  of  his  father  in  1842.  Even  though  only  fourteen 
years  old  he  had  so  mastered  the  classics  that  to  the  end 
of  his  life  he  had  easy  and  intimate  fellowship  with  the 
great  writers  of  Rome  and  Greece.  Latin  was  especially 
his  delight,  and  not  only  did  he  read  it,  but  was  fond  of 
transcribing,  for  his  own  pleasure  and,  as  his  children 
grew  up  around  him,  for  their  profit  as  well,  famous 
and  beautiful  passages  in  this  tongue.  Notebooks,  which 
he  filled  with  such  extracts,  the  writing  being  almost 
like  copper-plate,  are  still  extant.  Beyond  doubt  the 
memories  of  the  old  Raleigh  Tavern,  where  in  other 
days  ambitious  students,  famous  jurists,  and  eminent 
statesmen  had  gathered,  indeed  the  whole  atmosphere 
of  his  alma  mater  and  its  famous  town,  made  a  deep 
impression  on  this  boy,  and  helped  to  give  him  his  love 
for  literature  which  was  one  of  the  passions  of  his  soul 
through  life. 

38 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON  SANDS  39 

On  May  23,  1842,  he  came  to  Richmond  and  entered 
the  law  office  of  his  brother.  Wm.  G.  Sands,  who  was 
then  the  clerk  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Law  and  Chan- 
cery. "Here  under  the  loving  influence  of  this  brother 
and  of  such  persons  as  Judge  John  Robertson  [who  then 
presided  over  this  Superior  Court],  and  other  eminent 
lawyers,  his  thirst  for  knowledge  was  stimulated,  caus- 
ing him  afterwards  to  become  one  of  the  foremost 
lawyers  in  the  State  in  all  the  intricacies  of  chancery 
practice,  a  knowledge  never  misused  to  the  injury  of  his 
fellow-man."  In  speaking  in  after  years  of  his  arrival 
in  Richmond,  he  pictured  with  glowing  language  his 
first  view  of  the  city  and  the  impression  it  made  on  his 
youthful  mind.  Then  Richmond  was  "seated  princi- 
pally on  what  is  now  Church  Hill,  and  was  then,  as  now, 
surrounded  by  a  landscape  unsurpassed  in  loveliness." 
The  rush  of  the  swift  and  turbid  James  over  the  Falls 
filled  him  with  thoughts  of  the  power  of  the  Almighty. 
Night  after  night  the  roar  of  the  river  rendered  sleep 
impossible  for  him.  On  April  13,  1849,  in  his  twenty- 
first  year,  he  procured  his  license,  and  henceforth  to  the 
time  of  his  death  was  an  honored  member  of  the  legal 
profession ;  a  profession  which  he  described  in  his  book, 
"Recreations  of  a  Southern  Barrister,"  as  one  of  the 
noblest.  "As  an  advocate  he  was  laborious,  fluent,  and 
convincing,  always  ready  as  an  extempore  speaker,  yet 
excelling  most  when  his  thoughts  had  been  first  written 
or  printed.  He  delivered  his  arguments  in  the  highest 
court  of  the  State,  and  it  was  there  that  his  best  forensic 
powers  were  displayed  and  his  powerful  appeals  made. 
In  many  cases  of  the  greatest  importance  in  this  tribunal 
his  voice  was  frequently  heard  battling  for  the  right. 
As  a  pleader  he  was  unsurpassed  and  his  book  of  forms 
in  common  law  procedure,  and  his  'Suit  in  Equity' 
in     chancery     practice,     have      been      and      are      still 


40  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

standard  authorities  on  these  branches  of  the  law. 
Whilst  pursuing  the  profession  of  the  law  with  an 
ardour  seldom  seen,  he  yet  had  time  to  devote  to  other 
pursuits,  and  we  find  him  lecturing,  making  addresses 
on  public  questions,  and  writing  constantly  for  the 
secular,  legal,  and  religious  periodicals.  For  a  short 
time  he  edited  the  Evening  Bulletin,  a  paper  published  in 
the  City  of  Richmond,  and,  during  the  absence  of  Jno. 
R.  Thompson  in  Europe,  he  edited  the  Soiithern  Literary 
Messenger.  He  was  also  editor  of  the  Quarterly  Lazv 
Reviezv,  published  in  Richmond,  and  contributed 
articles  to  the  Methodist  Quarterly  Review,  the  Christian 
Review,  the  Religious  Herald,  and  many  other  religious 
papers.  In  addition  to  the  published  work  from  his  pen 
already  mentioned,  the  following  books,  of  which  he 
was  author,  should  be  set  down  to  give  some  accurate 
idea  of  his  ability  as  a  writer :  'History  of  a  Suit  in 
Equity'  (1854  and  1882),  'Recreations  of  a  Southern 
Barrister'  (1860),  'Alexander  Tate's  American  Form 
Book'  (1857),  'Practical  Law  Forms'  (1872),  'Hub- 
bell's  Legal  Directory  of  Virginia  Laws,'  'Sermons  by  a 
Village  Pastor,'  'A  Constitutional  History  of  Virginia' 
(not  printed)." 

In  early  life  Mr.  Sands  became  a  Christian,  uniting 
with  the  First  Baptist  Church,  of  Richmond.  He  soon 
became  the  teacher  of  a  large  Bible  class,  and  continued 
in  this  sphere  of  service  until  he  gave  himself  to  the 
larger  work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  Just  prior  to  the 
Civil  War  he  began  his  ministerial  life  by  preaching  to 
the  colored  people.  The  Baptist  churches  at  Ashland 
and  Glen  Allen  were  where  most  of  his  preaching  was 
done,  the  latter  church  having  been  established  largely 
through  his  instrumentality.  "While  his  strength  and 
health  permitted  he  preached  every  Lord's  Day  at  his 
own  charges  to  some  feeble  church.     Like  his  Master, 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON  SANDS  41 

he  went  where  he  was  most  needed,  and  in  the  most 
quiet,  unobtrusive  way  he  sought  to  make  the  most  of 
himself  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  Around  Richmond  for 
many  miles  are  men  and  women  converted  under  his 
ministry,  and  many  more  whom  he  greatly  helped  in 
their  Christian  life.  He  had  his  own  ways  of  doing 
good.  ...  He  had  profound  convictions  and  he 
was  ready  enough  on  all  appropriate  occasions  to  state 
and  defend  them,  but  he  freely  accorded  to  others  what 
he  claimed  for  himself,  and  quietly  pursued  the  even 
tenor  of  his  life  doing  his  own  work,  and  leaving  others 
to  do  theirs."  He  did  much  work  in  protracted  meet- 
ings, going  at  the  call  of  pastors  of  country  churches 
in  the  region  near  Richmond,  to  preach  for  weeks  at  a 
time.  Although  weak  in  body  and  almost  all  his  life  an 
invalid  ''he  believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  give  all  the  time 
he  could  spare  in  laboring  for  the  upbuilding  of  his 
fellow-man,  and  in  season  and  out  of  season  he  devoted 
himself  to  this  noble  calling." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  T.  G.  Jones,  in  an  article  in  the  Balti- 
more Baptist,  after  his  death,  spoke  thus  in  regard  to 
Mr.  Sands :  "Religious  and  conscientious  as  he  was,  he 
was  not  at  all  deterred  by  the  common  conception  of 
incongruity  between  the  practice  of  law  and  the  pro- 
fession of  religion.  If  Matthew  Hale  could  be  a  lawyer 
and  yet  a  Christian  then  he  did  not  doubt  that  Alexander 
Sands  could  be.  He  believed  that  whilst  the  weaklings 
and  pettifoggers  of  the  law,  its  sharp  and  shrewd,  small, 
smart  practitioners  might  be  unmindful  of  truth  and 
right,  justice  and  honor,  and  all  of  the  principles  of 
morality  and  religion,  the  truly  honorable  and  able  men 
of  the  bar,  regarding  law,  in  whatever  department,  as 
something  sacred,  looking  upon  it  in  the  light  in  which 
the  great  Hooker  received  it,  when  he  said,  in  his 
beautiful  and  sublime  personification:    'Her  seat  is  the 


42  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

bosom  of  God,  and  her  voice  the  harmony  of  the  worlds,' 
and  magnifying  their  own  high  office  as  its  interpreters 
and  expounders,  could  never  knowingly  and  willingly 
misconstrue  and  pervert  the  one,  or  degrade  and  dis- 
grace the  other.  .  .  .  Much  as  Mr.  Sands  loved  the 
law,  he  loved  the  gospel  more.  ...  So  he  added  to 
his  already  engrossing  labors,  those  of  the  Christian 
ministry,  to  which  he  was  ordained  a  few  years  before 
the  commencement  of  the  late  Civil  War.  While  his 
talents  and  acquirements  qualified  him  to  fill  any  of  the 
most  conspicuous  and  important  pulpits  of  the  land,  with 
beautiful  humility  and  self-abnegation,  like  his  divine 
Lord,  he  preached  the  gospel  to  the  poor — becoming 
pastor  of  a  church  of  colored  people,  then  slaves,  whom 
he  faithfully  served  in  all  the  offices  of  his  sacred  call- 
ing. Subsequently  he  preached  to  other  churches  and 
closed  his  ministry  at  Glen  Allen,  with  a  church  which 
he  had  been  chiefly  instrumental  in  forming,  and  of 
which  he  was  the  first  pastor.  For  his  ministerial 
services  he  drew  but  small  pay,  all  of  which  he  gave  in 
furtherance  of  one  or  other  church  interest  or  enterprise. 

"For  many  years  it  was  the  privilege  of  the  writer, 
who  had  been  a  student  in  the  same  college  with  Mr. 
Sands,  to  know  him  intimately,  and  to  enjoy  his  friend- 
ship. And  never  did  he  know  a  truer,  purer,  nobler 
man.  Of  fine  intellect,  highly  cultivated,  and  richly  fur- 
nished, his  chief  strength,  his  noblest  distinction  was  of 
the  heart.  He  was  candid,  frank,  sincere,  and  intensely 
conscientious.  His  soul  was  full  of  sympathy  with  every 
generous  and  noble  cause.  He  helped  the  needy  with 
unstinted  hand.  He  did  much  professional  work  for 
indigent  and  embarrassed  persons,  without  remunera- 
tion ;  and  when  charging  for  his  services  graduated  his 
fees  most  liberally,  according  to  the  condition  of  his 
clients." 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON  SANDS  43 

Towards  the  end  of  his  Hfe  Mr.  Sands  was  afflicted 
with  deafness.  This  in  a  measure  cut  him  off  from 
social  intercourse,  and  emphasized  for  others,  if  it  did 
not  increase  in  him,  his  scholarly  spirit.  To  see  him  in 
his  study  with  his  books  and  to  mark  his  placid  content- 
ment, and  then  to  hear  his  quiet,  well-chosen  words,  and 
to  catch  the  spirit  of  the  man  with  his  clear  judgment 
and  perfect  poise,  was  full  of  inspiration  for  young 
people;  certainly  it  was  to  at  least  one  college  student 
in  those  days. 

On  May  8,  1851,  Mr.  Sands  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Ella  Virginia  Goddin,  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Wellington  and  Eliza  P.  Goddin.  Rev.  Edward  Kings- 
ford  performed  the  ceremony.  Of  this  union  thirteen 
children  were  born,  and  of  these  seven  are  still  living. 
"After  a  long  and  lingering  sickness,  during  which  he 
worked  almost  to  the  last  hour,  he  calmly  passed  away 
without  a  struggle,"  on  December  22,  1887.  At  the 
funeral,  which  took  place  at  Grace  Street  Baptist 
Church,  in  the  providential  absence  of  the  pastor,  Rev. 
Dr.  Wm.  E.  Hatcher,  addresses  were  made  by  Drs. 
W.  W.  Landrum  and  T.  G.  Jones,  Rev.  J.  T.  Betts  and 
Rev.  S.  C.  Clopton  also  taking  part  in  the  services.  The 
burial  was  in  Hollywood.  Mrs.  Sands  survived  her 
husband,  but  now  side  by  side  they  sleep  their  last  sleep, 
where  is  still  heard  the  roar  of  the  James,  which  so 
fascinated  the  boy,  afterward  the  preacher  and  the 
lawyer,  when  he  first  came  to  Richmond. 


ALMARINE  WOOD  YARD 

Rev.  Almarine  Woodyard,  son  of  Joseph  and  Frances 
S.  Woodyard,  was  born  August  27,  1855,  near  New- 
port, Giles  County,  Virginia.  In  early  life  he  made  a 
profession  of  religion,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  A.  D. 
Bolton  into  the  fellowship  of  Walker's  Creek  Church. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  He 
was  educated  at  White  Gate  Academy  and  in  his  private 
library.  The  following  brethren  constituted  the  pres- 
bytery which  ordained  him :  W.  R.  L.  Smith,  G.  Gray, 
Thomas  Gatewood,  and  A.  H.  Ogden. 

Brother  Woodyard  was  in  the  regular  work  of  the 
ministry  six  years  and  six  months.  He  was  in  Amherst, 
one  year ;  at  Floyd  Court-House,  one  year ;  in  Accomac, 
two  years  and  three  months;  in  Petersburg,  serving 
Mount  Calvary,  Old  Shop,  Sappony,  and  Woodlawn 
churches,  two  years  and  two  months;  and  in  Appo- 
mattox, serving  Liberty  and  Hebron  churches,  one 
month. 

In  1880,  Brother  Woodyard  married  Miss  Mary  L. 
Moore,  of  Giles,  a  cultivated  Christian  woman,  who 
proved  a  true  helpmeet. 

Brother  Woodyard  was  signally  blessed  in  his  work. 
God  blessed  the  consecrated  workman.  His  friends  and 
physician  saw  that  he  was  growing  weaker,  and  thought 
a  change  of  climate  would  benefit  him.  He  was  called 
to  Appomattox.  He  moved  to  the  field,  but  soon  found 
that  he  must  give  up.  He  went  to  his  mother's  home  in 
Giles  County,  where  he  died  August  11,  1888.  His 
funeral  was  preached  by  Rev.  W.  E.  Wiatt. 

Brother  Woodyard  was  a  thoroughly  consecrated 
man,  and  God  sealed  his  ministry.    He  was  a  sound  man, 

44 


ALMARINE  WOODYARD  45 

pious,  and  discreet.  He  truly  understood  the  obligations 
of  a  Christian  minister,  and  was  faithful  in  the  per- 
formance of  duty.  The  precepts  of  Christ  found  a 
beautiful  illustration  in  his  life,  and  he  glorified  God 
by  keeping  His  commandments.  He  was  amiable  and 
kind,  and  ever  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  brethren. 
He  was  modest  and  unassuming;  moderately  estimating 
his  own  abilities,  and  justly  appreciating  the  merits  of 
others.  By  nature  his  piety  was  more  of  an  action  than 
a  feeling;  more  of  a  principle  than  a  passion — quiet, 
fervent,  steady. 

"His  chosen  work  he  did,  aspired  no  higher; 
To  learning  wedded,  to  his  flock  a  fire; 
A  faithful  pastor  over  a  loving  charge. 
He  gently  sailed  through  life  in  a  safe  barge; 
And  leaving  us  his  absence  to  bemoan, 
Without  a  struggle  sought  his  heavenly  home." 

Hugh  C.  Smith. 


48  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

nine  times  he  was  one  of  the  preachers,  who,  during  the 
sessions  of  the  body,  preached  to  the  gathered  crowds. 
In  1873,  he  was  called  on  to  supply  for  six  months  the 
pulpit  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Richmond,  while  the 
pastor  was  engaged  in  the  "Memorial  Movement."  The 
fact  that  this  invitation  came  to  Mr.  Win  free  was  an 
evidence  that  his  ability  as  a  preacher  was  recognized 
beyond  the  bounds  of  Chesterfield.  His  people  in  his 
churches  loved  and  admired  their  pastor,  but  it  seems 
never  to  have  occurred  to  them  that  some  other  folks 
might  like  him  and  want  him,  and  that  their  support  of 
him  ought  to  be  more  liberal.  It  was  doubtless  his  work 
in  Richmond,  where  some  seventy-five  persons  were  con- 
verted and  added  to  the  church  during  his  term  as  a 
supply,  as  well  as  the  failure  of  his  field  to  support  him 
adequately,  that  led  to  his  being  called,  and  to  his  accept- 
ing the  call  to  the  Bainbridge  Street  Church,  Manchester. 
On  June  1,  1873,  he  began  his  w'ork  in  Manchester, 
Richmond  College  having  conferred  on  him  about  the 
same  time  the  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.  In  some  four 
years  after  this  pastorate  began,  the  membership  of  the 
church  had  grown  from  275  to  406.  In  1878,  since 
many  of  the  members  were  living  in  conformity  to  the 
world,  the  church  called  upon  all  of  their  members  who 
desired  to  remain  in  good  standing  and  fellowship  to 
sign  a  covenant  renewing  their  vows.  Many  refused  to 
do  this,  and,  their  names  being  dropped,  the  next  year 
the  church  reported  to  the  Association  only  260  on  their 
roll;  yet  the  church  was  doubtless  strengthened.  After 
severing  his  connection  with  Bainbridge  Street,  Dr.  Win- 
free  spent  some  months  in  protracted-meeting  work,  and 
then  became  once  more  a  country  pastor,  accepting 
Berea,  in  Hanover,  and  North  River,  in  Henrico,  and  a 
little  later  Mount  Hermon,  in  the  Middle  District.  Be- 
fore long  the  churches  outside  of  the  Middle  District 
were  given  up,  and  he  came  to  the  end  of  his  life  serving 


DAVID  B.  WINFREE  49 

four  churches,    namely,    Red   Lane,    Bethel,    Powhatan, 
and  Mount  Hermon,  in  the  Middle  District. 

Dr.  Win  free  was  a  preacher  of  unusual  ability  and 
power.  His  excessive  modesty  and  undue  timidity  kept 
him  from  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  deliberations  of 
the  General  Association,  and  once,  when  he  had  been 
appointed  to  preach  the  introductory  sermon,  caused  him 
to  refuse  this  task.  It  had  taken  the  importunity  of 
those  who  knew  his  ability  to  secure  his  appointment, 
since  the  committee  had  scarcely  heard  of  him.  Rev. 
Dr.  C.  Tyree,  who  knew  Dr.  Win  free  long  and  inti- 
mately, wrote  concerning  his  character  and  his  power  as 
a  preacher  to  the  Herald.  Among  other  things  he  said : 
"His  piety  was  not  clerical  but  personal,  not  an  impulse 
but  a  habit,  warm  but  not  heated,  earnest  but  tranquil. 
His  religion  was  a  deep,  pervasive  sentiment,  striking 
tlirough  and  entwining  itself  with  all  the  powers  of  his 
soul.  .  .  .  He  was  grave  but  not  gloomy,  facetious 
but  not  frivolous,  and  tenderly  affectionate  but  not 
demonstrative.  His  love  for  Christ  was  his  controlling 
passion.  .  .  .  He  was  to  a  singular  degree  what  he 
appeared  to  be.  He  seemed  to  have  attained  to  the 
habitual  assurance  of  his  divine  acceptance,  and  hence 
carried  into  all  companies  the  cheerfulness  and  the  sun- 
shine of  a  soul  at  peace  with  God.  Hence  he  won  the 
hearts  of  all  who  knew  him.  Never  was  a  man  more 
universally  beloved.  ...  To  those  who  best  knew 
him,  his  religious  character  was  such  that  it  is  soothing 
to  remember.  It  comes  over  them  like  the  tranquilizing 
breath  of  spring.  It  was  as  a  preacher  that  he  w-as 
chiefly  eminent.  He  was  not  an  author  nor  distinguished 
as  a  platform  speaker  or  denominational  leader,  but  as 
a  preacher  he  had  not  many  equals,  and  but  few 
superiors.  In  many  essential  respects  Dr.  Winfree  was 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  impressive  preachers  I  ever 
heard.     I  have  known  many  who  surpassed  him  in  some 


50  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

regards,  but  I  have  known  but  few  who  combined  so 
many  of  the  elements  of  a  powerful,  effective  gospel 
preacher.  His  voice  was  natural,  clear,  flexible,  and 
pleasant.  His  enunciation  was  distinct,  and  while  he 
was  intensely  emotional  he  was  always  self-possessed. 
.  .  .  His  sermons  abounded  with  apposite,  correctly 
repeated  Scriptures,  and  were  always  brimful  of  the  pith 
of  the  gospel.  ...  I  never  heard  him  preach  that 
the  whole  structure  of  the  sermon  and  its  impression 
did  not  remain  with  me  for  years.  One  of  the  most 
instructive  and  impressive  sermons  I  ever  heard  from 
him  was  from  the  great  text,  'God  is  love.'  His  arrange- 
ment w^as  as  new  as  it  was  striking,  which  was  that  the 
love  of  God  was  seen  in  the  Father  in  his  originating 
the  plan  of  salvation,  in  the  Son  in  his  procuring  that 
plan,  and  in  the  Spirit  in  His  applying  the  plan.  Dr. 
Winfree  was  a  fine  protracted-meeting  preacher.  Per- 
haps thousands  in  his  own  and  surrounding  fields  were 
brought  to  Christ  under  his  preaching  in  the  meetings 
of  this  kind  conducted  by  him.  .  .  .  Never  was  a 
minister  more  abidingly  popular  among  his  people  than 
was  Dr.  Winfree.  And  yet  the  influence  of  this  gifted 
minister  was  comparatively  circumscribed.  Owing  to 
his  self-depreciation  and  shrinking  timidity  he  rarely 
attended  our  General  Association,  and  when  he  did  he 
took  no  part  in  its  deliberations.  In  fact  he  was  com- 
paratively unknown  to  his  great  denomination  outside 
of  his  own  immediate  field." 

He  died  at  his  home  near  Midlothian,  Chesterfield 
County,  Tuesday,  December  11,  1888,  at  midnight.  On 
Thursday  at  one  o'clock  the  funeral  took  place  at  Mount 
Hermon  Church,  the  sermon  of  the  occasion,  by  Dr. 
W.  E.  Hatcher,  being  on  the  text:  "Well  done,  good 
and  faithful  servant."  The  audience  was  a  large  one, 
and  they  listened  with  tearful  interest  to  the  tribute  to 
one  whom  they  loved.  The  burial  took  place  in  the 
Mount  Hermon  cemetery  hard  by  the  church. 


W.  V.  MACFEE 

W.  V.  Macfee,  the  son  of  E.  D.  Macfee,  Sr.,  was  born 
July  21,  1856,  at  Louisburg,  N.  C.  He  was  educated  at 
Richmond  College  and  at  the  S.  B.  T.  Seminary,  Louis- 
ville. Ky.  He  was  pastor  first  of  churches  in  Mecklenburg 
County  and  then  of  a  field  below  Richmond.  His  feeble 
health  gave  way  under  his  earnest  work  and  by  reason  of 
exposure.  He  died  at  the  "Retreat,"  Richmond,  Va., 
April  4.  1889.  He  was  buried  on  his  father's  farm,  some 
nine  miles  from  Pamplin,  Va.  In  one  of  the  churches  of 
which  he  was  pastor  a  difficulty  of  long  standing,  a  men- 
ace to  the  very  life  of  the  church,  was  healed  by  his  tact. 


51 


JAMES  M.  KENT,  SR. 

Fluvanna  and  Goochland  Counties  were  the  arena 
where  at  least  the  larger  part  of  the  life  of  James  M. 
Kent,  Sr.,  was  spent.  At  the  early  age  of  six  he  became 
concerned  about  his  soul's  salvation,  and  continued  in 
this  frame  of  mind  until  he  was  thirteen  years  old,  when 
he  was  converted.  He  at  once  became  a  member  of 
Lyle's  Church,  Fluvanna,  and  for  many  years  was  one 
of  its  leading  members.  He,  with  a  few  others,  or- 
ganized, 1860,  Beulah  Church,  of  which  body  he  was  a 
member  until  his  death.  From  the  very  first  his  interest 
in  the  growth  of  Beulah  took  a  very  practical  form.  He 
would  go  great  distances  on  summer  afternoons  and 
winter  nights  to  hold  prayer-meetings  in  destitute  sec- 
tions, nor  was  this  the  only  way  in  which  he  made 
sacrifices  for  the  cause  he  loved  so  well.  For  years  he 
resisted  the  appeals  of  his  brethren  that  he  ask  for  ordi- 
nation into  the  full  work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  As  a 
licentiate  he  saw  much  good  that  he  could  do,  and  he 
had  passed  the  meridian  of  Hfe  before  the  hands  of  the 
presbytery  had  been  laid  on  his  head.  His  brethren 
were  right ;  he  was  even  more  useful  from  this  time 
forward.  As  pastor  and  supply  he  served  Mount  Pros- 
pect and  Mount  Gilead  churches  in  Goochland,  and  sev- 
eral others  in  the  Goshen  Association.  His  kindness  to 
the  poor  was  great,  he  and  his  own  household  often 
depriving  themselves  to  minister  to  those  more  needy. 
In  his  sermons  he  was  alway.s  impressive  and  often 
eloquent,  while  his  life  was  an  epistle  for  good  known 
and  read  by  all  classes.  So  highly  was  he  regarded,  for 
his  probity  and  piety,  by  saints  and  sinners,  that  he  was 
known  in  the  community  as  ''good  Jimmy  Kent."  Just 
before  his  death,  which  took  place  in  his  eighty-fourth 
year,  on  Sunday,  June  16,  1889,  he  said  to  Rev.  J.  J. 
White,  whose  obituary  notices  of  him  furnish  the 
material  for  this  sketch :  "Oh,  that  this  might  be  my 
last  day  on  earth.  I  am  anxious  to  go  into  the  presence 
of  the  great  I  Am."  He  left  two  daughters  of  the  nine 
children  who  were  born  to  him  and  his  wife,  who  was 
Matilda  Mallory. 

52 


R.  H.  BAYLOR 

Little  beyond  the  brief  notice  in  the  minutes  of  the 
General  Association  is  here  given  in  regard  to  W.  H. 
Baylor.  He  was  born  in  King  and  Queen  County,  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  converted  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  and 
attended  Richmond  College,  the  Richmond  Medical  Col- 
lege, and  finally  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  graduated  in  1853.  Dr.  Baylor  practiced  medicine 
for  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Princess  Anne  County. 
He  began  to  preach  during  the  War,  was  ordained  and 
became  pastor  of  several  churches.  He  served  as  under- 
shepherd  Oak  Grove,  London  Bridge  and  St.  John's 
Qiurches  in  the  Portsmouth  Association,  doing  excellent 
work  on  this  field.  Many  persons,  at  different  times  and 
places,  made  profession  of  religion  under  his  preaching 
and  were  baptized  by  him.  For  a  brief  term  of  years  he 
made  his  home  in  Amelia  County.  He  died,  surrounded 
by  his  family,  in  Norfolk,  Virginia,  July  22,  1889,  being 
some  sixty  years  of  age.  "Not  long  before  his  death  he 
spoke  of  the  sweet  and  precious  presence  of  Jesus  with 
him." 


53 


WM.  H.  TAYLOR 

Wm.  H.  Taylor  was  born  and  spent  his  life  in  Buck- 
ingham County,  Virginia.  In  early  life  he  was  a  ring- 
leader in  wickedness,  but  later  was  no  less  active  on  the 
side  of  right.  He  was  converted  at  the  age  of  thirty 
and  baptized  by  Rev.  Wm.  Moore  into  the  fellowship  of 
the  Enon  (Buckingham)  Baptist  Church.  In  1842  he 
was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry.  During  his  career 
of  nearly  half  a  century  as  a  preacher  he  was  pastor  of 
Mount  Zion,  Buckingham,  Cedar,  Cumberland,  and 
Chestnut  Grove,  all  in  the  James  River  Association.  He 
was  the  moderator  of  his  Association  in  1852,  while  in 
1856  he  preached  its  introductory  sermon.  For  forty- 
three  continuous  years  he  was  pastor  of  Buckingham 
Church,  a  church  that  in  1 50  years  had  but  four  pastors. 
His  service  to  this  flock  was  from  1846  until  his  death, 
October  24,  1889.  At  the  church  he  served  so  long  he 
was  buried. 

Rev.  R.  W.  Bagwell,  pastor  of  Buckingham  Church, 
writes  concerning  Brother  Taylor  (who  was  called  by 
his  people  "Uncle  Taylor")  as  follows: 

"He  was  a  preacher  of  rare  natural  gifts.  Possessing 
an  attractive  and  commanding  personal  appearance,  and 
a  voice  rich  in  volume  and  full  of  sweetness  and  pathos, 
he  was  animated  in  speech  and  gave  evidence  of  possess- 
ing a  strong,  clear  and  discriminating  intellect.  From 
the  very  beginning  of  his  ministry  he  was  a  notable 
preacher.  Especially  was  he  gifted  in  exhortation.  His 
eloquence  when  he  was  stirred  was  almost  overwhelming 
in  its  power.  Brethren  who  were  fitted  to  judge  did  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  if  he  had  thrown  off  his  reserve  and 
applied  himself  more  assiduously  as  a  student  he  would 
have  taken  rank  as  a  preacher  with  Witt,  Jeter  and  Poin- 
dexter." 

54 


JOHN  SPENCER 

John  Spencer  was  born  March  19,  1808,  in  Bucking- 
ham County,  Virginia.  The  county  of  his  birth  was  the 
arena  of  his  hfe's  career.  The  county  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  James  River,  and  is  a  section  of  undulating, 
broken  country,  the  hills  now  and  then  assuming  the 
dignity  of  low  mountains.  While  there  are  many  noble 
country  seats  in  the  county  and  many  cultivated  and 
refined  people,  there  are  vast  stretches  of  woodland,  and 
the  roads  leave  much  to  be  desired.  At  present  deer  are 
numerous,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  meet  men  who 
have  killed  one  or  two,  while  one  gentleman's  score  is 
thirty-five.  When  a  hunt  occurs  it  is  not  unusual  for 
one  or  more  preachers  to  be  in  the  party.  At  the  age 
of  twenty -one  Mr.  Spencer  was  converted  and  joined 
the  Baptist  Church  near  him.  The  very  next  year  he 
began  to  preach,  and  his  active  labors  in  the  ministry 
continued  for  half  a  century.  While  he  never  had  the 
advantages  of  a  college  training  he  was  a  most  original 
preacher.  Upon  one  occasion,  when  the  James  River 
Association  met  at  Enon  Church,  the  brother  appointed 
to  preach  the  introductory  sermon  was  not  present. 
Several  ministers,  who  were  college  graduates,  when 
called  on  to  preach  the  sermon  refused,  saying  they  had 
had  no  time  for  preparation.  When  Mr.  Spencer  was 
asked  he  consented  on  certain  conditions.  A  text  was 
to  be  set  down  upon  a  slip  of  paper,  which  he  was  not  to 
see  until  he  was  ready  to  begin  to  preach.  This  was 
done  and  when  his  sermon  was  finished  the  other 
preachers  present  agreed  that  the  way  in  which  he  knew 
the  Bible  was  wonderful,  and  that  he  preached  it.     For 

55 


56  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

the  most  part,  Mr,  Spencer  preached  to  weak,  struggling 
churches.  In  the  course  of  his  ministry  he  was  pastor 
of  the  Wilderness,  Union  and  Cedar  churches,  in  the 
James  River  Association,  and  before  his  career  as  a 
preacher  was  ended  his  son  had  succeeded  him  as  pastor 
of  at  least  one  of  these  places.  He  did  not  attend  the 
general  meetings  of  the  denomination,  and  was  little 
known  among  his  brethren  of  the  ministry.  He  was 
instrumental  in  leading  some  3,000  persons  to  Christ 
and  he  baptized  nearly  as  many.  He  was  married  three 
times  and  was  survived  by  his  widow  and  six  children. 
He  was  a  subscriber  to  the  Religious  Herald,  and  used 
to  say  that  it  was  the  only  paper  he  cared  to  read.  He 
died  November  1,  1889,  paralysis  being  the  cause  of  his 
death.  "His  end  was  calm  and  peaceful,  and  loving 
hands  laid  him  to  rest  in  the  joyful  hope  of  the  resur- 
rection." \ 


SAMUEL  GRIFFIN  MASON 

Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  was  so  fortunate  as  to  have  his 
Boswell.  Without  this  faithful  biographer  his  fame 
and  name  would  never  have  reached  as  far  and  lived 
as  long  as  they  have.  Samuel  Griffin  Mason  had, 
through  the  larger  part  of  his  life,  a  dear  friend,  Thomas 
W.  Sydnor.  These  two  men  died  within  four  months 
of  each  other,  Sydnor  outliving  Mason,  and  penning  an 
interesting  and  lifelike  picture  of  his  friend  and  fellow- 
pastor.  The  present  sketch  could  never  have  been  as 
full  as  it  is  but  for  the  tribute  of  Dr.  Sydnor,  which 
appeared  in  the  Herald,  and  from  which  what  follows 
is  largely  taken.  Just  three  days  before  James  Madi- 
son's second  inauguration  as  President  of  the  United 
States,  in  the  midst  of  the  "War  of  1812,"  in  the  shadow 
of  the  Peaks  of  Otter,  in  Bedford  County,  on  March 
1,  1813,  Samuel  Griffin  Mason  was  born,  his  parents 
being  Lewis  and  Elizabeth  Mason.  In  early  life  he  was 
"born  again,"  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  James  Lef-t- 
wich.  Franklin  County  was  for  a  season  his  home, 
where  he  wielded  the  rod  of  the  pedagogue.  While  thus 
engaged  his  desire  for  the  office  of  bishop  arose  in  his 
heart,  and  he  showed  gifts  worthy  of  this  solemn  work. 
At  this  point  the  influence  of  Rev.  John  Kerr  led  him 
to  enter  the  Virginia  Baptist  Seminary,  now  Richmond 
College.  Among  his  fellow-students  here  were  Samuel 
Harris,  T.  N.  Johnson,  J.  W.  D.  Creath,  J.  C.  Bailey, 
J.  C.  Clopton,  J.  C.  Hamner,  J.  N.  Fox,  Andrew 
Broaddus,  Jno.  O.  Turpin,  J.  L.  Shuck,  R.  D.  Daven- 
port, Elias  Dodson,  A.  P.  Repiton,  R.  A.  Claybrook, 
H.  W.  Dodge,  R.  H.  Bagby,  Putnam  Owens,  S.  C. 
Clopton,    James     Parkinson,     C.     L.     Cocke,     W.     H. 

57 


58  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Gwathmey,  J.  C.  Schoolfield,  T.  W.  Sydnor,  and  A.  B. 
Clarke.  Many  of  these  men  became  ministers,  and 
three  of  them  missionaries  to  China.  Sketches  of  not 
a  few  of  these  men  appear  in  this  book.  Mr.  Mason 
did  not  take  first  place  in  his  classes,  nor  was  he  so 
gifted  as  some  of  his  fellow-theologues,  yet  not  one  was 
held  in  higher  esteem  than  was  he.  "Quiet,  unobtrusive, 
sedate,  dignified,  affable,  generous,  studious,  orderly,  he 
won  the  respect,  the  confidence,  the  affection  of  students, 
teachers,  and  trustees — of  all  connected  with  the  insti- 
tution."   He  graduated  in  1837. 

Charlotte  County,  where  Mr.  Mason  held  his  first 
pastorate,  with  neighboring  counties,  was  destined  to  be 
the  field  where  his  real  life  work  was  to  be  done.  From 
this  section  he  went  several  times  to  take  charge  of  other 
churches,  but  all  these  absences,  save  one,  were  brief, 
and,  while  they  were  not  devoid  of  valuable  work, 
seemed  to  serve  chiefly  in  showing  how  suited  he  was 
to  southern  Virginia  and  its  needs.  In  1844,  he  went 
to  Kentucky  upon  the  call  of  the  Flemingsburg  and 
Lewisburg  churches.  His  stay  in  Kentucky  was  not 
long.  In  1852,  he  yielded  to  another  call  and  became 
pastor  of  the  First  Church,  in  Petersburg.  After  two 
years  he  came  back,  and  took  charge  of  Catawba,  Mill- 
stone, Black  Walnut,  and  Arbor,  all  in  Halifax  County. 
In  1859,  two  churches  in  North  Carolina,  Yancey ville 
and  Trinity,  secured  him  as  their  pastor.  This  was  his 
most  protracted  absence  from  Virginia.  Until  1873 
he  sojourned  in  the  Old  North  State,  serving  his 
churches  with  great  acceptance,  and  winning  for  him- 
self high  place  among  the  ministers  of  that  state,  hold- 
ing at  one  time  the  presidency  of  the  Baptist  State  Con- 
vention. During  these  years  at  least  one  pilgrimage 
back  to  his  beloved  Southside  Virginia  was  when  one 
of  his  members,  Judge  Kerr,  came  to  Nottoway  County 


SAMUEL  GRIFFIN  MASON  59 

to  be  married,  and  brought  his  pastor  with  him  to  per- 
form the  ceremony.  Dr.  Sydnor  indicates  several  very 
helpful  influences  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Mason  in  his  first 
pastorate,  at  Mossingford,  Ash  Camp,  Mount  Tirzah, 
and  Shiloh  churches.  Abner  W.  Clopton  had  been  the 
pastor  liore  years  before,  and  his  work  was  of  so  ex- 
cellent a  character  as  to  make  the  career  of  his  successor, 
a  kindred  spirit,  the  more  plain  and  pleasant.  In  1841, 
Mr.  Mason  married  the  daughter  of  Archer  A.  and 
Elizabeth  F.  Davidson,  of  Charlotte  Court-House.  In 
finding  a  wife,  who,  in  the  providence  of  God,  was  to 
walk  with  him,  his  faithful  helpmeet  for  almost  half  a 
century,  he  also  came  under  the  influence  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Davidson,  who  were  people  of  unusual  character 
and  piety.  Mr.  Davidson  was  "clear-headed,  honest- 
minded,  and  true-hearted"  to  a  very  high  degree.  His 
wife  recalled  Solomon's  picture  of  the  model  wife  in 
Proverbs  31:10-31.  Among  the  young  pastor's  asso- 
ciates and  co-workers  on  this  field  were  Daniel  Witt 
and  A.  M.  Poindexter.  In  Virginia,  these  two  men, 
their  work  and  their  character,  are  so  well  known  that 
to  name  them  as  Mason's  associates  is  to  speak  volumes 
as  to  the  inspiring  fellowship  and  quickening  companion- 
ship that  were  his.  They  believed  in  him  as  a  man  and 
as  a  preacher.  Year  by  year  he  had  them  to  help  him 
in  his  protracted  meetings,  or  went  for  the  same  work 
to  them.  In  his  prime  Mr.  Mason  was  a  preacher  of 
great  power.  If  he  lacked  the  flowing  speech  of  Witt 
and  the  burning  eloquence  of  Poindexter,  in  his  lucid 
explanation  of  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel,  in  his  apt 
quotation  of  Scripture,  and  in  his  pointed  appeals  to  the 
unconverted  he  was  their  equal.  His  pulpit  power  was 
increased  by  his  gift  of  song.  Many  a  time  a  whole 
congregation  would  be  melted  down  as  by  himself  he 
would  sing:    "What  wondrous  love  is  this,  O  my  soul. 


60  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

O  my  soul,"  or  "O  trust  Him  yet  this  one  time  more," 
or  "O  tell  me  no  more  of  this  world's  vain  store." 

He  had  many  elements  of  power.  His  presence  was 
pleasant  and  commanding.  In  his  prime  he  was  "tall, 
erect,  symmetrical,  sinewy,  and  muscular,  without  a 
pound  of  superfluous  flesh.  His  clean-shaven  face  was 
fair  and  comely,  his  nose  of  the  Grecian  order;  his  eye, 
a  sort  of  hazel-blue,  keen  and  penetrating,  but  yet  in 
expression  gentle  and  benignant;  his  brow,  sometimes 
sternly  knit,  indicative  of  thought,  decision,  courage, 
and  determination;  his  hair,  a  rich  auburn,  worn  some- 
what long,  thrown  back  from  his  massive  forehead, 
would  fall  gracefully  over  his  ears,  a  little  down  his 
neck;  his  voice  clear,  sharp,  and  strong,  at  times 
plaintive,  melting,  and  melodious."  In  public  speech  he 
would  "sometimes  utter  a  word  with  a  sort  of  explosive 
sound  like  the  sudden  crack  of  a  pistol."  He  was  an 
accomplished  horseman.  On  Sunday  morning  he  would 
ride  up  to  the  place  of  his  appointment  on  his  noble 
horse,  dismount,  tie  his  horse  to  a  swinging  limb,  take 
his  saddlebags,  greet  the  brethren  around  the  door,  go 
in,  conduct  the  service  of  prayer  and  praise,  and  then 
go  up  into  the  pulpit  a  very  Saul  in  physical  develop- 
ment. While  not  a  man  of  highest  culture  or  extensive 
scholarship,  he  had  a  vigorous  intellect,  and  could  grasp 
with  ease  and  unfold  with  clearness  intricate  points  in 
theology.  Much  might  be  said  about  his  moral  make-up. 
He  was  upright,  faithful,  just,  sober,  pure,  good,  "a 
candid  man,  sincere,  frank,  unaffected,  open-hearted, 
and  ingenuous."  Surely  he  had  his  faults,  but  those 
who  knew  him  only  in  his  latter  years  when,  by  reason 
of  certain  sharp  trials,  these  defects  were  brought  into 
undue  prominence,  did  not  credit  him  with  all  the  graces 
that  were  really  his.  That  his  children  were  not 
Christians  was  to  him  a  great  grief.  He  feared  that 
some   of  his   brethren   in   the   ministry   were   departing 


SAMUEL  GRIFFIN  MASON  61 

from  the  faith  once  dehvered  to  the  saints.  In  the  spring 
of  1888,  he  received  an  injury  on  his  ankle,  which 
proved  more  serious  than  it  was  first  considered,  which 
gave  him  great  pain,  and  which  was  finally  the  cause  of 
liis  death.  During  his  long  career  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  the  blessing  of  God  richly  attended  his  labors 
and  multitudes  survived  him  who  held  him  in  grateful 
remembrance  as  their  spiritual  father.  His  public  career 
as  a  preacher  ended  with  a  brief  period  of  labor  as  an 
evangelist,  under  the  State  Mission  Board,  and  his 
pastoral  services  for  Antioch  and  Shiloh  churches,  in 
Charlotte;  Scottsburg  and  Clover,  in  Halifax,  and 
Providence,  in  'North  Carolina.  The  Appomattox  Asso- 
ciation held  him  as  one  of  its  most  esteemed  members. 
In  this  Association,  of  which  body  he  was  more  than 
once  moderator,  his  life  often  touched  that  of  his  fellow- 
pastor,  Samuel  J.  Atkins.  Their  lives  were  almost 
exactly  of  the  same  length  and  covered  almost  exactly 
the  same  period.  It  was  fitting  that  a  page,  set  apart 
in  the  minutes  of  the  Appomattox  Association,  for  1890, 
should  bear  their  names,  the  dates  of  their  birth  and 
death,  and  words  from  the  Book  they  loved  and 
preached  so  long,  describing  their  work  for  their  Master. 
On  November  14,  1889,  Mr.  Mason  reached  Rich- 
mond, where  he  hoped  to  secure  medical  aid  that  would 
bring  him  back  to  health,  and,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
went  to  the  home  of  his  son.  An  operation  was  per- 
formed, but  it  did  not  have  the  desired  result.  On 
Sunday,  January  26,  1890,  he  passed  to  his  eternal 
reward.  Two  days  later,  the  funeral,  attended  by  nearly 
all  the  Baptist  ministers  of  Richmond,  took  place  at  the 
West  Main  Baptist  Church.  On  foot  these  brethren 
followed  in  the  procession  to  Hollywood,  where  the 
burial  took  place.  Deeply  interesting  memorial  services 
were  held  at  Scottsburg,  in  Halifax,  and  Antioch,  in 
Charlotte.  At  this  latter  place  an  address  was  deliv- 
ered by  Dr.  Sydnor,  which  was  published  in  the  Herald. 


DANIEL  GRAY  TAYLOR* 

George  Taylor  left  Wales,  his  native  land,  about  the 
year  1772,  and  settled  in  the  colony  of  Virginia.  His 
son  Reuben  and  Mary  Gray  were  the  parents  of  five 
sons,  Daniel  Gray  being  the  oldest.  He  was  born  in 
the  country  home  of  his  parents,  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  Henry  County,  August  20,  182L  At  that  time 
the  country  roundabout  was  sparsely  populated  and 
enjoyed  very  few  religious  or  educational  advantages. 
There  were  no  Sunday  schools,  no  prayer-meetings,  and 
but  one  house  for  religious  worship,  in  which  there  was 
an  occasional  sermon  by  an  old  and  infirm  Baptist  min- 
ister, by  the  name  of  Manaen  Hill. 

In  a  journal  kept  by  Mr.  Taylor,  from  which  much 
of  the  information  in  this  sketch  is  taken,  this  building 
is  described  as,  "A  rude  structure,  built  of  unhewn  logs 
that  had  not  been  squared  at  the  ends.  The  chinks  had 
not  been  closed ;  and  the  batten  door  hung  loosely  on 
its  wooden  hinges.  The  boards  of  the  roof  were  laid 
on  poles,  and  held  in  their  places  by  poles  laid  on  them ; 
and  as  the  poles  sagged  the  roof  curved  accordingly. 
The  floor  was  the  native  earth,  covered  with  sand  from 
the  road.  The  seats  were  puncheons  riven  from  small 
trees  and  set  on  pins  of  the  proper  height,  and  were 
backless.  The  pulpit  against  the  wall  was  boxed  up 
quite  high,  a  door  being  left  at  one  end  to  admit  the 
preacher.  I  suppose  the  sacred  thing  would  have  held 
about  seventy-five  bushels.  In  this  old  house  I  heard 
my  first  sermon.     Years  have  elapsed,  but  the  text  on 


*This    sketch,    somewhat    abbreviated    and    with    some    verbal 
changes,  is  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  J.  Lee  Taylor. 

62 


DANIEL  GRAY  TAYLOR  63 

that  occasion  is  still  fresh  in  my  memory :  'God  hath 
made  man  upright,  but  they  have  sought  out  many 
inventions.'  " 

Reuben  and  Nancy  Taylor,  though  highly  respectable 
and  possessed  of  ample  means,  did  not  understand  or 
appreciate  the  advantages  of  education,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence the  son,  instead  of  being  placed  in  school,  was 
required  to  take  his  place  with  his  father's  negroes  on 
the  farm. 

In  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  farm  life,  and  in  the  manu- 
facture of  peach  and  apple  brandy,  with  an  occasional 
short  term  in  a  very  poor  school,  the  first  sixteen  years 
of  Mr.  Taylor's  life  were  spent,  during  wdiich  time  he 
had  no  recollection  of  a  visit  from  any  minister  of  the 
gospel,  or  of  the  mention  of  the  subject  of  religion  in 
his  father's  home. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  attended  a  boarding-school, 
at  Sandy  Ridge,  N.  C.,  of  which  he  says:  "My 
departure  was  a  great  event.  I  had  never  stayed  from 
home  longer  than  a  day  and  night  at  any  one  time,  and 
th.e  thought  of  so  long  an  absence  thoroughly  aroused 
me.  .  .  .  The  teacher  was  a  Presbyterian  minister. 
.  .  .  His  school  numbered  about  forty  boys  and  girls, 
and  some  of  the  older  pupils  studied  Latin  and  Greek. 
I  took  spelling,  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  and 
enjoyed  the  work  of  the  school  and  the  companionship 
of  the  pupils.  The  end  of  the  term,  of  eight  months, 
ended  my  school  days." 

Upon  his  return  home  he  resumed  the  pursuits  of 
agricultural  life,  and  thus  matters  went  on  until 
September  9,  1841.  when  he  was  happily  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Martha  King,  daughter  of  Hon.  Joseph 
Seward  King,  of  Henry  County,  and  granddaughter  of 
Elder  John  King,  who  is  mentioned  in  Semple's  "His- 
tory of  \^irginia   Baptists,"  and   in  Taylor's  "Lives  of 


64  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Virginia  Baptist  Ministers."  This  union  extended 
through  nearly  fifty  years,  and  whatever  good  he  accom- 
phshed  in  hfe  was  due  more  largely  to  his  wife  than 
to  any  other  human  agency.  Soon  after  his  marriage 
he  began  building  on  a  part  of  the  paternal  estate,  and  a 
year  later  he  moved  into  the  house.  It  was  lioiiic  until 
he  entered  into  the  Father's  house. 

When  he  entered  his  home,  in  1842,  he  did  not  own  a 
book  of  any  description.  Early  the  next  year  he  and 
his  wife  went  on  a  visit  to  her  father's  family.  On  this 
trip  Mrs.  Taylor  borrowed  a  Bible  from  her  brother, 
and  for  some  time  that  was  his  only  book.  The  record 
says :  ''From  my  boyhood  I  was  a  dear  lover  of  ardent 
spirits,  and  was  an  habitual  drinker.  But  soon  after  I 
went  to  housekeeping  I  dropped  that  practice  totally  and 
finally.  And  although  I  have  been  a  housekeeper  more 
than  forty  years,  and  have  raised  nine  children  to  be 
grown,  I  have  not  used  one  gallon  of  alcoholic  liquor  in 
that  time." 

In  1844,  Elder  John  Robertson,  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  at  Leaksville,  N.  C,  came  over  to  Mr.  Taylor's 
neighborhood,  to  baptize  Mr.  John  Watkins  and  wife, 
who  had  gone  all  the  way  from  their  home  into  North 
Carolina  to  unite  with  the  Baptists.  It  was  a  notable 
event.  Many  of  those  present  had  never  before  wit- 
nessed a  baptism,  and  they  were  deeply  impressed  by 
the  solemn  scene.  Soon  after  his  baptism,  Mr.  Watkins 
secured  the  cooperation  of  Reuben  and  Daniel  Taylor  in 
an  effort  to  build  a  house  of  worship.  The  record  says : 
"My  father  gave  the  land  on  which  the  church  was  to  be 
built.  He  and  I  became  the  contractors,  and  by  the  first 
of  October  we  had  the  house  completed.  Up  to  this 
time  I  had  no  concern  upon  the  subject  of  religion." 
Elder  John  S.  Lee,  who  had  recently  been  sent  into  the 
county  by  the  Baptist  State  Mission  Board,  sent  an  ap- 


DANIEL  GRAY  TAYLOR  65 

pointment  for  Elder  John  Robertson  and  himself  to 
begin  a  protracted  meeting  in  the  new  house  on  the 
second  Sunday  in  October. 

For  miles  around  the  people  were  interested  and  they 
came  to  hear.  Of  this  meeting  Mr.  Taylor  said  :  "Soon 
the  word  preached  began  to  affect  large  numbers,  among 
them  my  father,  a  younger  brother,  and  my  wife.  I,  too, 
was  affected,  but  in  a  different  way.  I  considered  it  a 
desperate  outrage  that  the  preachers  should  introduce 
such  trouble  among  the  people;  some  were  crying  as 
if  their  hearts  would  break;  others  were  on  their  knees 
in  an  agony  of  prayer,  and  the  whole  community  per- 
vaded by  a  deep  solemnity.  I  got  mad,  and  felt  that  if 
I  had  those  fellows  off  by  themselves  I  would  teach  them 
a  lesson  which  they  would  not  soon  forget.  But  I 
smothered  my  rage.  On  the  third  day,  as  I  did  not  like 
what  was  going  on,  I  decided  to  stay  at  home.  As  I 
was  preparing  to  go  to  the  field  my  father  said :  'Daniel, 
let  the  work  alone  and  go  to  meeting.'  But  my  mind 
was  made  up,  and  I  went  to  gathering  corn.  In  a  short 
time.  I  began  to  think  of  my  condition,  and  arrived  at 
the  conclusion  that  I  was  the  worst  sinner  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. My  condition  seemed  almost  hopeless,  and  I 
felt  if  I  should  die  in  that  state  I  would  surely  be  lost. 
The  next  morning  I  was  anxious  to  attend  the  meeting, 
and  was  deeply  interested  in  the  sermon.  At  its  close 
the  preacher  invited  those  who  felt  anxious  about  their 
souls  to  come  forward  for  prayer  and  instruction.  I 
went.  Others  found  relief,  but  I  could  not,  and  the 
meeting  closed  leaving  me  in  great  perplexity  and 
trouble,  but  I  was  determined  to  settle  the  matter,  and 
on  the  17th  of  November,  1844,  I  found  peace  by  trust- 
ing in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

The  Mayo  Baptist  Church  having  been  organized  on 
the  19th  of  November,  1844,  Daniel  G.  Taylor  and  his 


66  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

wife,  on  the  30th  of  March,  1845,  it  being  the  fifth 
Sunday  in  the  month,  were  baptized  by  Elder  John. 
Robertson.  He  did  not  wait  to  be  baptized,  but  began 
at  once  to  hold  prayer-meeting,  and  deliver  exhortations 
as  he  had  opportunity.  A  visit  to  the  Strawberry  Asso- 
ciation the  next  year  kindled  his  soul  with  warmer  as- 
pirations for  usefulness.  His  deep  interest  and  dignified 
bearing  excited  confidence  and  expectation  in  the  minds 
of  his  brethren,  and  this  reacted  on  his  own  spirit.  The 
call  was  growing  louder  and  the  voice  more  distinct,  but 
there  were  difficulties  in  the  way.  He  had  an  excellent 
farm  and  was  comfortably  settled.  He  could  work  in 
wood,  brick,  stone,  iron,  and  leather.  There  was  money 
in  the  tobacco  business  in  which  for  a  time  he  had 
engaged,  and  he  was  no  sluggard.  By  attention  to  busi- 
ness, prosperity  and  abundance,  and  quiet  happiness  lay 
within  easy  grasp.  He  was  not  ignorant  of  the  situa- 
tion. The  record  says :  "The  duty  of  preaching  the 
gospel  was  upon  me,  but  the  outlook  was  far  from 
cheering.  Having  no  early  religious  training,  no  edu- 
cation to  speak  of,  no  useful  books  except  the  Bible,  and 
but  little  money  to  buy  them,  and,  being  dependent  in  a 
measure  on  my  own  labor  for  the  support  of  my  family, 
I  did  not  see  how  I  could  perform  the  work  to  which  I 
felt  called ;  but  I  determined  to  do  the  best  I  could. 
.  .  .  Brother  Lee  gave  me  the  benefit  of  his  counsels, 
and  furnished  me  such  books  as  I  could  pay  for.  As  I 
went  about  the  farm  I  carried  a  small  Testament  in  my 
pocket,  and  improved  every  spare  moment  by  reading. 
When  the  day's  work  was  done  I  continued  my  studies 
till  late  bedtime,  striving  to  enhance  my  usefulness." 
On  October  30,  1847,  at  Mayo  Church,  he  was  ordained 
to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  by  a  presbytery  com- 
posed of  Elders  John  S.  Lee,  Thos.  C.  Goggin,  and 
Pleasant  Brown. 


DANIEL  GRAY  TAYLOR  67 

Meanwhile,  he  had  not  been  idle.  Beside  other  preach- 
ing stations,  in  July  of  that  year  he  had  an  appointment 
at  Leaksville,  N.  C,  and  continued  his  visits  to  that 
place  for  nearly  two  years.  In  September  he  made  his 
first  visit  to  Floyd  County,  and  preached  at  a  private 
residence.  He  says :  "I  found  a  few  Baptists  who  had 
come  from  Bedford  County.  The  people  seemed  eager 
to  hear  the  truth,  and  the  harvest  is  plenteous."  In 
December  of  this  year  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of 
Mayo  Church,  in  which  capacity  he  served  wnth  slight 
interruption  till  the  end  of  his  hfe. 

Some  of  his  earliest  ministerial  labors  were  per- 
formed in  the  adjoining  counties  of  North  Carolina,  and, 
in  connection  with  the  Mayo  pastorate,  he  became  a  mis- 
sionary of  the  North  Carolina  Baptist  State  Convention, 
to  labor  in  the  counties  of  Stokes  and  Rockingham. 

On  account  of  failing  health,  Elder  Lee  resigned  his 
missionary  work,  and  the  Board  at  once  turned  to  Elder 
Taylor.  At  his  ordination  he  had  preached  from  Mark 
16:15.  His  soul  caught  the  spirit  of  the  text.  His  zeal 
kindled.  He  was  in  some  sense  a  child  of  the  Board. 
It  was  not  strange  he  should  become  its  servant.  So 
resigning  his  work  in  North  Carolina,  he  devoted  his 
unoccupied  time  to  missionary  work  in  the  counties  of 
Floyd  and  Patrick.  With  some  variation  in  fields  of 
labor,  his  connection  with  the  State  Mission  Board  con- 
tinued for  ten  years  or  more,  during  which  time  he  was 
instrumental,  under  God.  in  planting  the  standard  of 
the  cross  in  many  destitute  communities,  and  organizing 
several  churches. 

At  the  organization  of  Blue  Ridge  Association,  in 
1858,  he  was  chosen  moderator,  an  office  which  he  held 
for  eighteen  years,  and  from  which  he  was  relieved  only 
at  his  own  request.  He  was  in  a  sense  the  father  of  the 
Association,   manifested  an  abiding  interest  in  all  that 


68  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

pertained  to  its  prosperity,  attended  all  its  meetings,  and 
rejoiced  greatly  in  its  development  and  growth.  The 
meeting  of  1877  was  the  last  over  which  he  presided. 
At  this  meeting  he  vacated  the  chair  to  urge  the  claims 
of  State  Missions,  Foreign  Missions,  Ministerial  Sup- 
port, and  Temperance.  In  1888,  he  attended  the  Asso- 
ciation for  the  last  time.  At  this  meeting,  as  he  had 
often  done  before,  he  preached  the  introductory  sermon. 
Isaiah  11  :9  was  chosen  as  the  text:  "They  shall  not  hurt 
nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain :  for  the  earth  shall 
be  full  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea."  One  who  heard  the  sermon  said :  "As  the  speaker 
portrayed  the  peaceful  sway,  the  onward  march,  and 
the  final  glorious  triumph  of  Messiah's  kingdom,  and 
pointed  out  the  agencies  through  which  this  was  to  be 
accomplished,  all  the  powers  of  his  mighty  mind  and 
noble  soul  were  brought  into  play,  and  he  seemed  for 
the  time  to  live  amid  the  splendors  of  the  latter-day 
glory,  and  his  auditors  were  swayed  like  leaves  in  the 
autumn  breeze." 

For  ten  years  before  his  death,  Mr.  Taylor  did  not 
enjoy  vigorous  health.  Hard  work,  exposure  and  two 
attacks  of  serious  illness  had  left  their  mark  upon  him. 
Through  all  his  pastoral  career  he  rarely  failed  to  meet 
an  engagement.  He  served  in  the  pastoral  relation  the 
Leaksville,  Providence,  Ayersville,  Beaver  Island, 
Peter's  Creek,  and  Oak  Ridge  churches,  in  North 
Carolina ;  and  in  Virginia,  New  Haven  Church,  in  Floyd 
County ;  Friendship,  Sycamore,  Rock  Spring,  and 
Meadows  of  Dan,  in  Patrick,  and  New  Leatherwood, 
True  Vine,  Ridgeway,  Blackberry,  and  Mayo,  in  Henry 
County.  He  was  a  New  Testament  preacher.  From 
his  nearly  completed  journal,  which  has  been  carefully 
consulted,  it  appears  that  in  the  course  of  his  ministry 
he  preached  from  534  different  texts,  only  seventy-two 
of  which  were  taken  from  the  Old  Testament. 


DANIEL  GRAY  TAYLOR  69 

His  habit  in  preparing  a  sennon  was  to  get  the  text 
in  mind,  and  meditate  on  it  while  about  his  work.  Some 
of  his  best  sermons,  he  said,  were  prepared  while  he  was 
between  the  plow  handles.  Before  starting  to  his  ap- 
pointments he  usually  made  brief  notes  of  what  he  had 
thought  out.  These  he  rarely  carried  into  the  pulpit. 
Like  all  extemporaneous  speakers,  his  sermons  varied  in 
power  according  to  the  occasion.  Sometimes  he  spoke 
with  thrilling  eloquence.  In  all  his  preaching  he  was 
strictly  logical.  A  leading  lawyer  of  the  Henry  bar, 
who  heard  him  on  various  occasions,  declared  that  he 
never  knew  him  to  make  a  false  argument.  And  yet  he 
never  read  a  chapter  on  logic  in  his  life.  He  simply  saw 
things  clearly,  and  from  his  own  vocabulary  expressed 
what  he  saw. 

Competent  witnesses  have  borne  discriminating  and 
forceful  testimony  to  Mr.  Taylor's  character  and  work. 
They  have  spoken  of  earnestness  unquenched  by  dis- 
couragements, of  sincerity  unmarred  by  convention- 
alism, of  frankness  unobscured  by  temporizing.  They 
have  mentioned  the  conscientiousness  which  withstood 
the  demands  of  personal  interest,  the  intellectual  power 
which  triumphed  over  grave  difficulties,  the  unosten- 
tatious piety  which  grew  and  ripened  as  the  years 
passed  by. 

He  did  his  work  in  the  country,  and  sowed  the  seeds 
of  truth  in  neglected  places.  The  field  was  not  one 
from  which  large  harvests  could  be  expected.  In  the 
performance  of  his  labors  he  traveled  by  private  con- 
veyance 65,387  miles,  and  preached  5,278  sermons,  and 
baptized  794  professors  of  faith,  ten  of  whom  became 
ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

His  end  came  on.  He  realized  the  fact  and  spoke  of 
it  with  joy.  To  one  of  his  sons,  who  solicited  his  aid 
in  meetings  soon  to  be  held,  he  said:    "John,  I  would 


70  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

be  glad  to  visit  your  churches  again  and  see  the  brethren 
once  more,  but  my  work  is  done."  On  the  1st  and  2d 
days  of  February,  1890,  at  Beaver  Island  Church,  he 
preached  his  last  sermons.  On  Saturday  the  text  was : 
"Let  no  man  glory  in  men,  for  all  things  are  yours." 
On  Sunday :  "Master,  I  will  follow  Thee  whithersoever 
Thou  goest."  He  came  home  feeling  worse  than  usual. 
A  month  later  he  started  to  Beaver  Island,  but  returned. 
On  Sunday  morning  he  went  to  Mayo  and  taught  a  class 
in  the  Sunday  school.  His  work  ended  where  it  began. 
From  that  time  he  rarely  left  his  room.  He  told  his 
wife  he  would  not  recover.  To  the  family  physician  he 
said :  "Doctor,  you  can  do  me  no  good.  For  a  long 
time  I  have  been  working  for  Jesus,  now  I  am  going  to 
live  with  Him."  A  short  time  before  the  summons  came 
he  called  for  the  hymn  book,  and  sitting  on  the  bedside 
sang  his  last  hymn  on  earth : 

"Hark,  the  voice  of  Jesus  calling — 
Who  will  go  and  work  to-day?"  etc. 

March  30,  1890,  being  the  fifth  Sunday  in  the  month, 
dawned.  Just  forty-five  years  before  on  the  30th  day 
and  fifth  Sunday  in  March  he  had  been  baptized.  Early 
in  the  morning  he  engaged  his  family  and  friends  in 
cheerful  conversation.  He  asked  for  his  cane  and  used 
it  in  changing  his  position.  The  sun  was  up  and  the 
light  of  a  new  Sabbath  had  silently  fallen  on  forest  and 
field.  Almost  as  silently  Daniel  G.  Taylor  had  emerged 
from  the  darkness  of  this  earthly  life,  and  had  entered 
into  his  Father's  house. 


THOMAS  W.  SYDNOR 

The  county  of  Hanover,  Virginia,  famous  as  the  birth- 
place of  Henry  Clay,  was  where  Thomas  W.  Sydnor  first 
saw  the  light,  being  the  youngest  child  of  Edward  G.  and 
Sarah  Sydnor.  Under  Presbyterian  influence  the  boy 
grew  up,  going  regularly  with  his  pious  mother  to  the 
Pole  Green  Church.  Here  he  heard  a  sermon  which  led 
to  his  religious  awakening.  On  this  important  occasion 
the  text  was :  "Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock, 
etc.,"  and  the  preacher  the  distinguished  Dr.  W.  S. 
Plumer.  The  youth  was  subsequently  converted  during  a 
series  of  meetings  in  1831  at  the  Second  Baptist  Church, 
Richmond,  Virginia.  He  was  baptized  by  the  pastor  of  the 
church.  Dr.  J.  B.  Taylor.  In  an  address  before  the  Gen- 
eral Association  in  1872,  soon  after  the  death  of  James 
B.  Taylor,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  spoke  as  follows  of 
his  father  in  the  gospel  and  his  own  early  religious  ex- 
periences: "Brother  Taylor  was  the  guide  of  my  youth. 
I  think  I  am  a  Christian.  I  know  I  am  a  Baptist,  and  I 
make  some  humble  pretensions  as  a  preacher  of  the  gos- 
pel. Now,  it  does  seem  to  me,  as  I  look  back  upon  my 
early  life,  that  possibly  I  should  never  have  been  a  Chris- 
tian; probably  never  a  Baptist;  and  certainly  never  a 
preacher,  had  I  not  been  brought  under  the  influence  of 
James  B.  Taylor.  He  was  the  chief  instrument,  I  think, 
of  my  conversion  to  God;  he  baptized  me  and  his  name 
is  attached  to  the  license  I  hold  as  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel." Not  far  away  from  this  Hanover  home  was  an- 
other home  in  which  a  youth  named  L.  W.  Allen  was 
growing  up.  He,  too,  eventually  became  a  Baptist 
preacher,  though  in  later  years  Mr.  Sydnor,  the  compan- 
ion of  his  youthful  days,  remembered  him  "as  a  young 
man,  gay,  dashing,  ardent,  aspiring,  ambitious,  especially 
of  military  honor." 

71 


72  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

In  1835  he  entered  the  Virginia  Baptist  Seminary, 
what  is  now  Richmond  College.  Among  his  fellow-stu- 
dents were  J.  W.  D.  Creath,  J.  C.  Bailey,  James  C.  Clop- 
ton,  T.  N.  Johnson,  S.  G.  Mason,  Sam  Harris,  Elias  Dod- 
son,  A.  P.  Repiton,  Jno.  O.  Turpin  and  J.  L.  Shuck. 
After  a  part  of  a  session,  as  it  seems,  at  Richmond,  he 
entered  Columbian  College  in  the  fall  of  1835.  Here  he 
remained  three  years  and  graduated  in  1838.  Among  his 
associates  at  Columbian  were  W.  Carey  Crane,  J.  D. 
Herndon,  Cornelius  Tyree,  J.  C.  Hamner.  Solon  Linds- 
ley,  H.  W.  Dodge,  N.  Marshman  Williams,  R.  H.  Bagby, 
S.  Standish  Bradford,  H.  H.  Tucker,  J.  S.  Walthall,  W. 
B.  Cooper,  Andrew  Broaddus,  Robert  Ould,  R.  A.  Clay- 
brooke,  and  J.  N.  Schoolfield.  The  faculty  of  Columbian 
in  those  sessions  consisted  of  Rev.  S.  Chapin,  D.  D., 
President,  and  Professor  of  Intellectual  and  Moral  Phi- 
losophy; Wm.  Ruggles,  LL.  D.,  Professor  of  Mathe- 
matics; J.  O.  B.  Chaplin,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Ancient 
Languages;  Thos.  Sewell,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Anatomy 
and  Physiology ;  John  L.  Lincoln,  Tutor ;  S.  C.  Smoot, 
Principal  of  Preparatory  School ;  Adril  Sherwood,  D.  D., 
General  Agent.  From  Columbian  College  he  went  to 
Newton  Theological  Seminary,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
remained  two  years.  Among  his  companions  here  were  J. 
G.  Barker,  E.  L.  Magoon,  J.  C.  Upham,  A.  N.  Arnold, 
T.  D.  Anderson,  J.  R.  Scott,  E.  G.  Robinson.  In  these 
several  lists  of  students  are  the  names  of  one  who  after- 
wards was  the  president  of  two  great  universities,  of 
another  who  became  a  distinguished  judge,  and  of  sev- 
eral who  rose  to  high  eminence  as  preachers.  In  1888 
Dr.  Sydnor  wrote  to  the  Herald:  "My  pen  is  itching  to 
write  something  about  the  old  college.  If  I  had  more 
time  and  more  tact,  more  brains  and  more  brass,  more 
sense  and  more  cents,  I  would  let  it  scratch.  ...  If 
I  could  write  better  I  would  write  more." 


THOMAS  W.  SYDNOR  73 

During  his  course  at  Columbian  College  he  was 
licensed  by  the  Second  Church,  Richmond,  and  after  fin- 
ishing his  work  at  Newton  was  ordained  at  Bruington 
Church,  King  and  Queen  County,  Elders  Philip  Mon- 
tague and  E.  L.  Magron  constituting  the  presbytery.  He 
served  the  Bruington  Church  for  a  season  as  a  supply 
and  then  became  pastor  of  the  Farmville  Church.  To 
Bruington  he  brought  his  bride,  a  daughter  of  one  of  his 
college  professors,  Dr.  S.  Chapin,  President  of  Colum- 
bian. This  union  was  broken  after  a  few  brief  years, 
Mrs.  Sydnor  dying  during  the  Farmville  pastorate.  Be- 
fore and  after  his  Farmville  pastorate  of  one  year,  Mr. 
Sydnor  was  engaged  for  a  number  of  years  in  agency 
work,  laboring  for  his  alma  mater,  Columbian  College ; 
for  the  Baptist  General  Convention  for  Foreign  Missions  ; 
for  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and  for  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Publication  Society  in  its  Sunday-school  de- 
partment among  the  colored  people.  In  1845  he  was 
married  a  second  time,  the  bride  being  Miss  Blanche  W. 
McClanahan,  of  Roanoke  County,  Virginia.  She  and 
two  sons  and  a  daughter  survived  him. 

In  1847  Nottoway  County  became  his  home  and  the 
field  of  his  labors.  Here  he  remained  for  the  rest  of  his 
life,  a  period  of  some  forty-three  years,  exerting  a  wide 
influence  in  many  directions,  loved  and  esteemed  through- 
out the  whole  region.  Of  the  Tussekiah  Church,  which 
was  organized  in  1777,  he  was  pastor  twenty-five  years, 
and  of  the  Jonesboro  Church,  organized  in  1850,  twenty- 
six.  His  pastorate  of  a  third  church  in  the  Concord  As- 
sociation reached  thirty-two  years.  This  last  church  was 
first  known  as  Cool  Spring.  To-day  it  is  known  as  the 
Blackstone  Church.  This  church,  along  with  what  is 
now  the  town,  has  had  several  names.  Blacks  and  Whites, 
Belle fonte,  and  finally  Blackstone.  The  first  of  these 
names  did  not  refer  to  the  colored  and  white  races,  but 


74  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

to  families.  Mr.  Sydnor  himself  liked  the  title  Bellefonte 
for  town  and  church  and  hated  to  see  it  go.  It  was  re- 
tained by  the  church,  so  a  letter  of  his  to  the  Herald  says, 
after  it  was  abandoned  by  the  town. 

Mr.  Sydnor's  work  was  not  confined  to  the  bounds  of 
the  Concord  Association.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
pastor  of  Mount  Hope  and  Central,  two  churches  in  the 
Middle  District  Association.  During  his  long  years  as 
pastor  he  baptized  over  3,000  persons.  Mr.  Sydnor  was 
useful  not  alone  in  his  own  churches.  He  held  public 
office.  Upon  the  establishment  in  Virginia  of  the  public 
school  system,  he  was  made  public  school  superintendent 
of  Nottoway.  This  position  he  held  until  his  death,  with 
the  exception  of  the  four  years  of  Governor  W.  E.  Cam- 
eron's administration.  He  was  most  faithful  in  his  at- 
tendance upon  his  Association,  the  Concord,  and  was 
elected  as  moderator  every  time  made  possible  by  the 
provisions  of  the  constitution.  He  was  active  in  the 
work  of  his  denomination  in  the  State,  and  the  brother- 
hood showed  their  confidence  in  him  by  electing  him  to 
positions  of  honor.  In  1871  he  was  made  moderator  of 
the  General  Association.  He  was  also  president  of  the 
Virginia  Baptist  Historical  Society.  At  the  General  As- 
sociation in  1866,  which  led  to  the  reorganization  of 
Richmond  College,  he  took  part  in  the  discussion,  and 
years  later  was  made  a  trustee  of  the  College.  He  con- 
tributed frequent  and  valuable  articles  for  the  columns 
of  the  Religions  Herald,  now  upon  biographical  or  his- 
torical subjects,  now  upon  questions  arising  in  the  life  of 
the  denomination.  In  1873  the  degree  of  D.  D.  was  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  Columbian  College.  He  died  May 
4,  1890. 

Rev.  Dr.  Cornelius  Tyree,  who  was  the  life-long  friend 
of  Dr.  Sydnor,  wrote  as  follows  in  the  Religions  Herald: 

"This  writer  knew  Dr.  Sydnor  long  and  well.  We 
were  classmates  in  Columbian  College,  and,  unlike  some 


THOMAS  W.  SYDNOR  75 

of  the  members  of  this  class,  he  was  singularly  pious. 
He  was  a  model  of  gentlemanly  courtesy,  kindness,  dili- 
gence as  a  student,  and  promptness  in  all  college  duties. 
.  .  .  His  religion  was  real  and  apparent.  While  not  sin- 
gularly gifted  in  any  one  respect,  he  combined  an  assem- 
blage of  personal  and  ministerial  excellencies.  He  was 
an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testament.  He  was  unsur- 
passed in  the  scripturalness,  naturalness,  simplicity  and 
tenderness  with  which  he  preached  the  gospel.  I  call  to 
mind  two  sermons  I  heard  him  preach  while  agent  of  our 
Foreign  Mission  Board.  One  was  on  the  foundation  that 
God  laid  in  Zion ;  text,  Is.  28:16.  The  other,  the  greater 
prevalence  and  wickedness  of  practical  than  theoretical 
atheism.  I  have  rarely  heard  abler  and  more  impressive 
sermons  than  were  both.  .  .  .  These  were  the  only 
sermons  I  heard  him  preach,  but  judging  from  the  opin- 
ion of  others,  who  heard  him  more  frequently,  and  from 
an  excellent  sermon  he  published  in  the  Baptist  Preacher 
on  the  perseverance  of  the  saints,  we  may  safely  say  that 
he  was  a  model  preacher.  He  was  an  excellent  pastor, 
faithful  and  yet  tender  and  encouraging.  .  .  .  One 
of  his  prominent  traits  was  his  conscientious  accuracy  in 
the  minutise  of  life.  He  was  excelled  by  some  in  the 
breadth  and  comprehensiveness  of  their  views,  but  none 
surpassed  him  in  a  knowledge  of  the  details  of  our  his- 
tory for  the  last  fifty  years.  In  all  of  our  plans  his  mind 
would  turn  to  particulars.  He  knew,  perhaps,  more  cor- 
rectly than  any  other  the  history  of  our  leading  ministers 
who  have  died  within  the  last  half-century. 
With  him  it  was  sudden  death  and  sudden  glory.  He 
preached  Christ  in  the  morning  and  was  with  him  in 
paradise  that  evening." 


SAMUEL  JOHNSON  ATKINS 

Samuel  Johnson  Atkins  was  born  in  Mecklenburg 
County,  May  11,  1811.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Prince 
Edward  County,  June  26,  1890,  in  the  eightieth  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  reared  by  Presbyterian  parents.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  made  a  profession  of  rehgion,  and 
joined  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church.  He  was  more 
fortunate  than  some  of  his  time  in  educational  advan- 
tages in  his  early  life.  He  acquired  a  fairly  good 
English  education,  with  some  knowledge  of  Latin, 
Greek,  and  mathematics.  He  had  a  logical  mind,  and 
when  thoroughly  enlisted  reasoned  with  great  clearness 
and  force.  His  memory  was  remarkably  accurate,  and 
served  him  never  so  well  as  when  in  mental  contest. 
These  elements,  coupled  with  his  calm  self-possession, 
made  him  a  formidable  adversary  in  debate. 

For  a  while  he  was  clerk  and  salesman  in  a  country 
store,  and  then  spent  several  years  in  teaching  a  country 
school.  In  1840,  he  began  to  preach  as  a  Protestant 
Methodist  preacher,  and  labored  in  the  counties  of 
Buckingham  and  Cumberland.  When  preaching  from 
the  text :  "One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,"  he  sought 
earnestly  to  defend  what  he  had  hitherto  held  as 
baptism ;  but  became  satisfied  that  his  position  was  un- 
tenable, and  soon  after  renounced  the  doctrine  of  the 
Methodist  Church  and  became  a  Baptist.  He  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  Wm.  Moore,  of  Buckingham  County. 
Soon  after,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the 
ministry,  at  Tarwallet  Church,  by  a  presbytery  consist- 
ing of  Revs.  T.  N.  Johnson  and  Wm.  Moore.  The 
sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  T.  N.  Johnson.  Text : 
II  Timothy  4:2,  "Preach  the  word." 

76 


SAMUEL  JOHNSON  ATKINS  77 

For  more  than  forty  years  he  was  a  Baptist  minister, 
and  was  abundant  in  labors  and  crowned  with  the  bless- 
ings of  the  Lord.  As  God's  servant  he  loved  to  preach. 
It  was  a  source  of  delight  to  him  to  tell  the  glad  tidings 
of  salvation.  When  he  entered  the  ministry  he  was  im- 
pelled by  a  deep  conviction  of  duty,  and  he  prosecuted 
his  work  with  ever-increasing  joy.  He  was  not  only 
willing  to  preach,  but  seemed  to  be  always  ready.  He 
did  not  push  himself  to  seek  recognition  and  prominence, 
but  when  called  upon  to  stand  up  for  the  Master  he  was 
not  hindered  by  difficulties  and  embarrassments.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  fearless,  plain,  and  practical.  He  had 
clear  views  of  doctrine  and  well-defined  convictions, 
with  the  courage  to  preach  anywhere  that  which  he  be- 
lieved to  be  the  truth,  and  to  stand  by  his  convictions 
regardless  of  consequences.  He  seemed  not  to  care  for 
ornamentation  of  style  and  floral  decorations.  When  he 
had  preached  several  days  in  a  meeting,  Dr.  J.  A.  Mundy 
said  to  the  congregation:  "Brother  Atkins  has  given 
you  rich  clusters  of  luscious  fruit  without  a  single 
flower." 

He  was  pastor  of  a  number  of  churches,  and  in  some 
cases  for  a  long  time.  He  served  Union,  fifteen  years; 
Sandy  Creek,  seventeen  years ;  he  was  many  years 
pastor  at  Nottoway  and  Mount  Lebanon  churches ;  was 
also  pastor  of  Concord,  Buckingham  County,  and  Mount 
Hope  and  Walker's  Church,  in  Appomattox  County. 
He  was  twice  pastor  of  Tar  wallet,  Pisgah,  and  Spring 
Creek  churches.  He  served  the  James  River  Associa- 
tion five  years  as  missionary.  He  was  a  successful 
laborer  in  protracted  meetings,  and  had  much  talent  and 
love  for  that  work.  He  led  many  to  Christ  and  baptized 
a  large  number  of  converts.  He  was  popular  as  a  pastor 
and  was  greatly  beloved  by  all  the  churches  he  served. 

Brother  Atkins  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Miss  Rebecca  G.  Anderson,  of  Cumberland  County, 


SAMUEL  JOHNSON  ATKINS 

Samuel  Johnson  Atkins  was  born  in  Mecklenburg 
County,  May  11,  1811.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Prince 
Edward  County,  June  26,  1890,  in  the  eightieth  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  reared  by  Presbyterian  parents.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and 
joined  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church.  He  was  more 
fortunate  than  some  of  his  time  in  educational  advan- 
tages in  his  early  life.  He  acquired  a  fairly  good 
English  education,  with  some  knowledge  of  Latin, 
Greek,  and  mathematics.  He  had  a  logical  mind,  and 
when  thoroughly  enlisted  reasoned  with  great  clearness 
and  force.  His  memory  was  remarkably  accurate,  and 
served  him  never  so  well  as  when  in  mental  contest. 
These  elements,  coupled  with  his  calm  self-possession, 
made  him  a  formidable  adversary  in  debate. 

For  a  while  he  was  clerk  and  salesman  in  a  country 
store,  and  then  spent  several  years  in  teaching  a  country 
school.  In  1840.  he  began  to  preach  as  a  Protestant 
Methodist  preacher,  and  labored  in  the  counties  of 
Buckingham  and  Cumberland.  When  preaching  from 
the  text :  "One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,"  he  sought 
earnestly  to  defend  what  he  had  hitherto  held  as 
baptism ;  but  became  satisfied  that  his  position  was  un- 
tenable, and  soon  after  renounced  the  doctrine  of  the 
Methodist  Church  and  became  a  Baptist.  He  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  Wm.  Moore,  of  Buckingham  County. 
Soon  after,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the 
ministry,  at  Tarwallet  Church,  by  a  presbytery  consist- 
ing of  Revs.  T.  N.  Johnson  and  Wm.  Moore.  The 
sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  T.  N.  Johnson.  Text : 
II  Timothy  4:2,  "Preach  the  word." 

76 


SAMUEL  JOHNSON  ATKINS  77 

For  more  than  forty  years  he  was  a  Baptist  minister, 
and  was  abundant  in  labors  and  crowned  with  the  bless- 
ings of  the  Lord.  As  God's  servant  he  loved  to  preach. 
It  was  a  source  of  delight  to  him  to  tell  the  glad  tidings 
of  salvation.  When  he  entered  the  ministry  he  was  im- 
pelled by  a  deep  conviction  of  duty,  and  he  prosecuted 
his  work  with  ever-increasing  joy.  He  was  not  only 
willing  to  preach,  but  seemed  to  be  always  ready.  He 
did  not  push  himself  to  seek  recognition  and  prominence, 
but  when  called  upon  to  stand  up  for  the  Master  he  was 
not  hindered  by  difficulties  and  embarrassments.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  fearless,  plain,  and  practical.  He  had 
clear  views  of  doctrine  and  well-defined  convictions, 
with  the  courage  to  preach  anywhere  that  which  he  be- 
lieved to  be  the  truth,  and  to  stand  by  his  convictions 
regardless  of  consequences.  He  seemed  not  to  care  for 
ornamentation  of  style  and  floral  decorations.  When  he 
had  preached  several  days  in  a  meeting.  Dr.  J.  A.  Mundy 
said  to  the  congregation:  "Brother  Atkins  has  given 
you  rich  clusters  of  luscious  fruit  without  a  single 
flower." 

He  was  pastor  of  a  number  of  churches,  and  in  some 
cases  for  a  long  time.  He  served  Union,  fifteen  years; 
Sandy  Creek,  seventeen  years ;  he  was  many  years 
pastor  at  Nottoway  and  Mount  Lebanon  churches ;  was 
also  pastor  of  Concord,  Buckingham  County,  and  Mount 
Hope  and  Walker's  Church,  in  Appomattox  County. 
He  was  twice  pastor  of  Tarwallet,  Pisgah,  and  Spring 
Creek  churches.  He  served  the  James  River  Associa- 
tion five  years  as  missionary.  He  was  a  successful 
laborer  in  protracted  meetings,  and  had  much  talent  and 
love  for  that  work.  He  led  many  to  Christ  and  baptized 
a  large  number  of  converts.  He  was  popular  as  a  pastor 
and  was  greatly  beloved  by  all  the  churches  he  served. 

Brother  Atkins  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Miss  Rebecca  G.  Anderson,  of  Cumberland  County, 


78  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

by  \vhom  he  had  two  children.  His  second  wife  was 
Mrs.  Appia  Moseby,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  all 
of  whom  are  living  save  one,  and  are  faithful  Christians 
In  his  home  he  was  a  model  of  kindness  and  affection. 
In  this  particular  his  children  copy  him.  In  the  social 
circle  he  was  easy  in  manner  and  as  accessible  as  a  child. 
In  the  homes  of  the  rich  and  cultured,  as  among  the 
poor  and  ignorant,  he  was  a  welcome  visitor — wel- 
comed by  the  young  people  and  children,  as  well  as  by 
the  more  mature.  He  was  genial  and  pleasant  and  a 
good  conversationalist.  He  possessed  in  an  extraordi- 
nary degree  the  faculty  of  knowing  people.  He  not  only 
knew  the  names  and  faces,  but  their  families,  relation- 
ships, and  localities.  Wherever  he  went  he  found  people 
whose  family  connections  he  could  in  some  way  trace. 

In  April,  1890,  he  was  paralyzed,  but  lingered  until 
the  25th  of  June,  when  he  quietly  and  peacefully  passed 
to  his  heavenly  home.  Religious  services  were  held  by 
the  pastor — Rev.  J.  W.  Wildman — and  Rev.  W.  F. 
Kone,  of  Farmville,  and  he  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
cemetery  of  the  Pisgah  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he 
had  twice  been  pastor.  A  beautiful  monument  .marks 
his  resting  place,  erected  by  a  faithful,  loving,  appre- 
ciative people. 

IV.  J.  Shipman. 


WILLIAM  ALEXANDER  HILL 

William  Alexander  Hill  was  born  in  Ciilpeper  County. 
November  22.  1817,  his  father  being  Captain  Ambrose 
Powell  Hill  and  his  mother  Frances  Twyman.  High  so- 
cial position  and  the  comforts  of  life  were  among  his  as- 
sets from  his  very  birth  and  in  due  time  the  best  educa- 
tional advantages  were  his.  After  a  course  of  study  at 
the  Virginia  Baptist  Seminary,  now  Richmond  College, 
he  received,  in  1839,  his  degree  of  M.  D.  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania.  He  at  once  took  up  the  practice, 
in  his  native  county,  of  his  chosen  profession,  and  in 
1840  was  most  happily  married  to  Miss  Judith  Frances 
Booten,  of  Madison  County.  One  of  the  interesting 
notes  in  Mr.  Hill's  life  is  the  fact  that  he  worked  along 
so  many  different  lines,  and  of  him  it  may  be  said,  as  it 
was  of  Goldsmith,  that  he  touched  nothing  which  he  did 
not  adorn.  In  1843  he  moved  to  Greene  County  and 
while  residing  there  was  appointed  to  the  county  iDcnch, 
where  he  "most  worthily  wore  the  ermine."  In  1847  he 
purchased  a  fine  estate  in  Madison  County,  where  he 
erected  a  handsome  residence,  which  was  his  home  to  the 
day  of  his  death.  Here  was  one  of  the  most  attractive 
and  hospitable  homes  in  all  the  State,  and  its  master  a 
courtly  gentleman,  dispensed  an  almost  royal  cheer.  Pic- 
tures of  roaring  wood  fires,  creature  comforts  on  the 
board,  many  guests,  laughter,  gladness  and  the  conver- 
sation of  friends  must  peep  out  between  these  lines,  else 
this  sketch  is  not  true  to  life.  Again  we  see  Mr.  Hill 
in  a  new  line  of  work,  for  he  was  the  first  superintendent 
of  public  schools  for  Madison  and  Greene  counties.  He 
did  his  work  "with  eminent  fidelity  and  ability."  In  his 
report  for  1880  he  wrote:  "Improvement  marked.  The 
appreciation  of  an  education  has  grown  with  each  suc- 
ceeding year.  As  a  general  thing  there  is  a  greater  de- 
gree of  morality  and  virtue ;  this  applies  no  less  to  the 
colored  population  than  to  the  white."  In  this  same  re- 
port, in  answer  to  the  question :    "Are  the  children  of  the 

79 


80  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

more  ignorant  classes  likely  to  surpass  their  parents  in 
respect  to  intelligence,  good  morals  and  industry?"  he 
answered :  "They  are."  He  continued  in  this  office  until 
removed  by  a  political  revolution  "which  turned  every 
man  out  of  office  simply  because  he  was  in  office." 

In  early  life  Dr.  Hill  had  made  a  profession  of  religion 
and  been  baptized  by  Elder  James  Garnett,  who  for  many 
years  was  pastor  of  Bethel,  Cedar  Run,  and  Crooked 
Run  churches  of  the  Shiloh  Association.  From  the  time 
of  his  baptism  he  was  an  active  Christian  and  came  to 
be  prominent  in  the  Shiloh  Association,  of  which  body 
he  was  moderator  for  many  years,  and  well  known  in 
the  General  Association.  As  time  went  on  the  brethren 
were  more  and  more  convinced  that  he  ought  to  preach, 
and  about  1860  he  was  licensed  for  this  work  by  the 
Mount  Zion  Church.  With  characteristic  modesty  "he 
rather  shrank  from  assuming  the  full  work  of  the  min- 
istry," but  finally  yielded  to  the  call  of  Liberty  Church, 
and  in  1864  was  ordained.  Of  this  church  he  was  pastor 
fourteen  years.  He  was  also  pastor  of  two  churches  in 
the  Goshen  Association,  Antioch  and  Mount  Pisgah,  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  of  Cedar  Run  for  three  years. 
Strong  devotion  and  love  bound  him  and  his  churches 
to  each  other.  As  his  years  advanced  and  his  health  be- 
gan to  fail  it  required  the  utmost  efiforts  of  his  family  to 
dissuade  him  from  taking  the  long  journeys  which  were 
necessary  to  fill  his  appointments,  but  which  his  loved 
ones  thought  were  too  much  for  his  strength.  Dr.  Hill 
was  greatly  blessed  in  his  family.  "His  sons  and  daugh- 
ters grew  up  worthy  of  the  virtues  and  graces  of  their 
honored  parents  and  his  household  was  a  model  of  piety 
and  affectionateness."  Not  long  before  his  end  the  death 
of  a  loved  daughter  brought  tenderness  as  well  as  sadness 
into  the  home  circle.  When  his  departure  was  at  hand 
he  testified  that  it  was  well  with  his  soul,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 21,  1890,  he  fell  on  sleep  at  his  country  seat,  "Glen- 
dalough." 


JAMES  D.  BROWN* 

James  D.  Brown,  son  of  james  and  Mary  Brown,  was 
born  in  Greenesville  County,  Virginia,  October  17,  1846. 
His  father  was  a  thrifty  fanner  and  gave  his  children 
good  educational  advantages.  He  went  to  Washington 
and  Lee  University  in  1866,  '67,  '68,  while  General  R.  E. 
Lee  was  president.  General  Lee  gave  him  his  picture 
with  his  autograph.  The  picture  had  its  place  in  his  room 
and  seemed  to  cry  :  "Be  earnest ;  do  not  trifle ;  time  flies ; 
serve  your  generation  and  your  God."  While  at  Wash- 
ington and  Lee  University,  in  his  own  room,  he  made  a 
profession  of  religion,  and  in  June,  1869,  was  baptized 
by  Rev.  Dr.  A.  E.  Owen  into  the  fellowship  of  High 
Hills  Baptist  Church,  Jarratt,  Va.  In  the  fall  of  1868 
he  went  to  the  University  of  Virginia  to  study  law. 

March  10,  1869,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  Jesse  Jarratt,  Rev.  Dr.  Owen  officiating.  The 
next  ten  years  were  spent  in  a  quiet  and  uneventful  way 
on  his  farm.  During  this  period  he  was  convinced  that 
he  ought  to  preach  the  gospel,  but  in  his  extreme  mod- 
esty he  shrank  from  this  work.  Yet  he  could  not  rid 
himself  of  his  convictions,  and  in  the  fall  of  1880,  as  a 
preparation  for  the  practical  work  of  the  ministry,  he 
accepted  the  office  of  General  Secretary  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  of  Petersburg.  He  served 
the  Association  about  a  year  and  then  was  appointed  as 
colporteur  of  the  Sunday  school  and  Bible  Board  for 
Petersburg  and  the  suburbs ;  but  he  shrank  from  the  hard 
service  that  might  appal  a  sturdy  nature,  and  after  a 
few    days    he    resigned    and    returned    to    his    home    in 


^The  facts  for  this  sketch  were  furnished  by  Dr.  Hugh  C.  Smith. 

81 


82  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Greenesville.  In  February,  1882,  at  High  Hills  Church, 
he  was  ordained,  the  presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  A. 
E.  Owen,  D.  D. ;  E.  C.  Dargan,  D.  D. ;  Charles  H.  Nash, 
and  Hugh  C.  Smith.  He  took  charge  at  once  of  Antioch 
and  Shiloh  churches,  Portsmouth  Association,  serving 
them  faithfully  until  his  death. 

He  was  an  invalid  for  nearly  two  years,  having  nasal 
and  throat  troubles.  He  finally  resigned  the  care  of  his 
churches,  but  they  refused  to  accept  his  resignation,  re- 
taining him  as  their  pastor  and  securing  an  assistant. 

The  funeral  services  at  High  Hills  Church  were  con- 
ducted by  Hugh  C.  Smith  and  J.  T.  Eubank.  His 
churches  held  memorial  services  and  each  placed  a  life- 
size  picture  on  the  wall.  Shiloh  Church  erected  a  beau- 
tiful monument,  near  the  church,  to  his  memory,  and 
High  Hills,  his  mother  church,  has  a  marble  tablet  on 
her  wall. 


JOHN  ROBERTS  MOFFETT 

John  Roberts  Moffett  was  born  in  Culpeper  County, 
Virginia,  October  16,  1858.  He  came  of  Scotch-Irish 
stock.  Henry  Moffett,  the  emigrant,  a  scion  of  the 
Scotch  family,  was  born  in  1705.  He  located  in  the  val- 
ley of  Carter's  Run,  Fauquier  County,  and  was  the  father 
of  Rev.  Anderson  Moffett  and  Daniel  Moffett.  Rev. 
Anderson  Moffett  was  for  more  than  fifty  years  the  pas- 
tor of  Smith's  Creek  Baptist  Church,  Shenandoah 
County,  Virginia.  He  was  imprisoned  in  the  Culpeper 
jail  for  preaching  as  a  Baptist  and,  while  there,  was  almost 
suffocated  by  the  fumes  of  burning  red  pepper  and  sul- 
phur. Daniel  Moffett  was  married  twice ;  of  his  three 
sons  who  reached  manhood,  one  emigrated  to  Alabama; 
the  second,  Horatio  G.,  was  for  years  a  lawyer  in  Rap- 
pahannock County,  being  commonwealth's  attorney  and 
a  member  of  the  Virginia  Secession  Convention  of  1861 ; 
the  third,  John,  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  John  Moffett  was  married  twice,  his  second  wife 
being  Miss  Sarah  William  Brown,  a  woman  of  indomit- 
able energy  and  rare  piety.  Her  forebears  were  the 
Browns,  the  Ficklens,  the  Robertses,  who  at  an  early  date 
had  located  in  the  "Little  Fork"  and  its  vicinity  in  Cul- 
peper County.  To  John  Moffett  and  his  wife,  Sarah, 
four  children.  William  Walter,  Sallie  F.,  Daniel  Ander- 
son, and  John  Roberts,  were  born.  The  home  of  this 
family,  a  comfortable  and  typical  Virginia  country  man- 
sion, some  ten  miles  from  Culpeper,  is  still  standing. 
Such  an  ancestry,  such  a  mother,  and  such  a  county  as  a 
birthplace,  were  fine  assets  with  which  to  set  out  in  life. 
Let  us  pursue  the  story  of  the  boy  who  had  this  good 

83 


84  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

beginning.  He  heard  the  roar  of  war.  Later  in  life  he 
wrote  concerning  these  days :  "We  have  often  gone  out 
on  the  hills  to  listen  to  the  booming  of  the  cannon  on 
some  hard- fought  field.  Lee  and  his  army  passed  right 
by  our  gate  on  his  way  to  and  from  Pennsylvania.  I 
remember  how  anxious  the  family  were  that  I  should  see 
him.  My  father  held  me  up  on  his  shoulder.  'There  he  is 
— yonder  he  goes — he  has  turned  the  corner — is  out  of 
sight.  Did  you  see  him,  son?'  'Yes,  Pa;  it  was  that  man 
with  the  oilcloth  cap  on,  wasn't  it?'  Just  to  think,  so 
close  to  the  noble  old  hero  and  never  to  have  seen  him. 
Our  own  soldiers,  how  pretty  they  looked  in  their  new 
suits  of  gray,  with  brass  buttons,  as  they  galloped  by 
our  house  in  the  beginning.  I  wished  then  that  I  was 
one  of  them,  but  I  don't  recollect  making  any  such  wish 
some  months  later  when  they  would  come  straggling  in, 
tired,  footsore,  ragged,  dirty  and  sick  or  desperately 
wounded.  My  mother  nursed  many  through  various 
kinds  of  sickness  and  dressed  many  wounds.  Sometimes 
she  would  take  buckets  of  iced  milk  out  on  the  road  to 
give  to  those  who  appeared  to  be  especially  hot  and  tired." 

John  Moffett,  the  father,  died  when  his  youngest  son 
was  some  nine  years  old.  This  was  on  Christmas  Day. 
Soon  afterwards,  one  Sunday,  the  mother  gathered  the 
children  into  her  room  and  read  to  them  a  sermon  by 
Spurgeon  on  "Heaven  and  Hell."  This  made  a  deep 
impression  on  John,  and  he  went  to  his  room  and  wrote 
these  resolutions : 

First.  Resolved  to  be  kind  and  gentle  to  my  mother, 
brothers,  and  sister,  and  to  every  one,  and  to  be  loved 
by  all. 

Second.  Resolved  that  I  will  help  my  mother  all  I  can 
and  make  her  think  she  has  a  blessing  in  her  son. 

Third.  Resolved  that  I  will  pray  night  and  morning 
and  at  10  o'clock  and  3  o'clock.  May  the  Lord  help  me 
to  keep  these  resolutions.     Amen. 


JOHN  ROBERTS  MOFFETT       85 

As  to  his  conversion,  the  hght  gradually  dawned, 
though  he  finally  realized  that  he  was  a  Christian  at  a 
Methodist  camp-meeting.  In  his  fourteenth  year  he  was 
baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Gourdvine  Baptist 
Church  by  the  venerable  Barnett  Grimsley.  The  boy's 
first  teacher  was  his  father,  who  laid  great  stress  on 
spelling.  Next  he  sat  at  the  feet  of  "Cousin  Pocahontas 
Reid."  and  then  went  to  Miss  Roberta  Crigler,  walking 
four  miles  to  school.  In  1873  he  went  to  the  Academy 
at  Washington,  Va.,  where  Rev.  Mr.  Warden,  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  and  Mr.  Berkely,  later  a  lawyer,  were  his 
teachers.  After  a  year  in  this  school  he  returned  home 
and  superintended  the  farm  until  the  fall  of  1881.  Dur- 
ing these  years  he  read  widely,  was  active  in  church  work, 
taking  part  in  the  sessions  of  the  Shiloh  Association,  and 
was  aggressive  in  temperance  effort  in  the  Good  Templar 
lodges  of  Culpeper  and  Rappahannock  counties.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Gourdvine  Church  on  August  20, 
1881,  and  a  few  days  later  set  out  for  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Seminary  in  Louisville,  Ky. 

He  went  to  the  Seminary  knowing  little  Latin  and  no 
Greek.  Yet  he  decided  to  take  in  four  sessions  the  course 
a  man  with  college  training  may  complete  in  three.  For- 
tunately, his  room-mate  was  John  H.  Boldridge,  an  excel- 
lent student  and  trained  at  Richmond  College.  With 
such  a  tutor  Moffett  did  splendid  work  and  graduated  in 
1885  in  an  unusually  brilliant  class.  During  his  Semi- 
nary life  he  was  pastor  for  a  season  of  the  New  Salem, 
Ky.,  church,  where  his  energy  led  to  the  erection  of  a 
new  house  of  worship.  On  June  29,  1884,  at  his  old 
home  church,  he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry, 
these  ministers  comprising  the  presbytery :  C.  F.  James, 
B.  Grimsley,  R.  H.  Stone,  W.  J.  Decker,  T.  P.  Brown, 
and  T.  F.  Grimsley. 

His  first  pastorate,  after  graduation  at  the  Seminary, 
was  in  King  William  County,  Virginia.    Here  was  a  typi- 


86  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

cal  Virginia  country  field,  with  two  churches,  each  having 
preaching  twice  a  month.  With  characteristic  energy, 
Mr.  Moffett  soon  added  to  this  work  an  afternoon  ap- 
pointment at  Mount  Hermon  Church,  across  the  Matta- 
poni  River,  in  CaroHne  County.  See  this  young  pastor, 
preaching  Sunday  mornings  where  honored  men  of  God 
had  for  many  years  proclaimed  the  gospel,  going  in  the 
afternoon  through  heat  and  cold  on  his  long  cross-coun- 
try trips,  helping  brother  pastors  in  protracted  meetings, 
baptizing  in  the  waters  of  the  Mattaponi,  taking  an  active 
part  in  temperance  work,  quickening  in  a  remarkable  de- 
gree the  missionary  and  benevolent  zeal  of  his  churches 
and  ministering  in  most  loving  and  liberal  fashion  to  the 
necessities  of  the  poor.  One  Christmas,  in  a  letter  to  his 
mother,  he  wrote :  "Besides,  there  are  several  poor  and 
sick  persons  in  my  congregation  to  whom  I  thought  all 
the  money  I  could  spare  for  Christmas  presents  ought  to 
go,  believing  that  it  would  do  more  good  than  being  sent 
even  to  you.  The  consequences  are  I  have  not  made  a 
single  Christmas  present." 

On  July  3,  1887,  he  began  his  work  as  the  first  pastor 
of  the  North  Danville  Baptist  Church,  an  organization 
that  had  grown  out  of  a  Sunday  school  established  the 
previous  January  through  the  labors  and  prayers  of  a 
number  of  faithful  women.  As  the  little  flock  had  no 
meeting-house,  the  recognition  service  for  the  pastor  was 
held  in  the  Methodist  church.  While  it  was  plain  that  a 
house  of  worship  was  the  pressing  need  of  the  new 
church,  the  pastor  called  first  for  a  collection  for  missions 
and  then  three  days  later  made  his  appeal  for  the  house 
of  worship.  In  six  months  Moffett  and  his  people  were 
meeting  in  a  chapel  of  their  own;  at  the  end  of  the  first 
year  the  membership  had  grown  from  30  to  163,  and 
already  the  chapel  was  too  small  and  steps  had  been  taken 
for  a  larger  building.     When  Mrs.   Berryman  put  her 


JOHN  ROBERTS  MOFFETT       87 

name  down  for  the  first  $500  towards  the  new  church, 
Moffett  "felt  hke  shouting,  'Glory.'  "  On  December  1, 
1889,  the  new  edifice,  costing  $15,000,  was  dedicated,  the 
last  cent,  before  the  day  was  over,  being  paid.  On  this 
occasion  the  chief  speakers  were  Rev.  J.  R.  Harrison  and 
Rev.  Dr.  A.  E.  Dickinson.  The  North  Danville  Baptist 
Church  soon  came  to  be  one  of  the  best  organized  bands 
of  workers  in  the  State.  This  was  largely  due  to  the 
energy  and  systematic  work  of  the  pastor.  He  carried  a 
map  of  the  city  in  his  mind.  Each  section  called  for  defi- 
nite work.  He  believed  in  visiting.  He  knew  the  cry  of 
the  poor;  some  one  met  him  at  eleven  o'clock  one  night 
with  a  bundle  of  provisions  on  his  back  going  to  some 
home  where  hunger  dwelt.  He  was  popular  among  other 
denominations.  The  Woman's  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Church  elected  him  a  life  member  of  their 
society  because  once  in  an  emergency  he  had,  upon  short 
notice,  come  to  their  aid  and  preached  their  anniversary 
sermon.  Once,  when  the  Methodist  preacher  had  re- 
turned to  his  old  pulpit,  Moffett  took  his  own  congrega- 
tion one  Sunday  morning  and  went  to  do  honor  to  his 
brother  pastor.  No  wonder  that  later  the  ladies  of  this 
same  Methodist  church  one  Wednesday  night  invaded 
Moffett's  prayer  meeting  and  through  their  spokesman, 
Mr.  J.  J.  Flippin,  presented  him  with  a  handsome  silver 
service.  Moffett  insisted  on  systematic  giving  to  missions 
and  was  especially  enthusiastic  as  to  foreign  missions. 
In  his  preaching  he  seemed  to  keep  ever  before  his  mind 
the  fact  that  he  was  a  great  sinner  and  that  Jesus  was  a 
great  Saviour.  He  had  an  humble  opinion  of  himself. 
At  the  close  of  his  first  Sunday  in  Danville  he  wrote: 
'T  went  home  feeling  that  everything  done  by  me  reached 
below  mediocrity" ;  while  his  meeting-house  was  being 
erected,  one  day  he  and  the  carpenter  having  disagreed 
about  some  matter,  his   record  concerning  the  incident 


88  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

was :  'T  got  mad  and  said  some  things  I  ought  not.  I 
am  ashamed  of  myself.  I  do  not  think  a  Christian  ought 
to  show  temper."  On  May  7,  1889,  in  the  second  year 
of  his  North  Danville  pastorate,  Mr.  Moffett  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Pearl  Bruce,  the  youngest  daughter 
of  Thomas  Bruce,  Esq.,  of  Halifax  County. 

With  all  the  work  he  had  in  his  own  church,  Moffett 
was  a  leader  in  two  movements  that  were  statewide. 
He  was  the  first  one  in  the  ranks  of  Virginia  Baptists  to 
advocate  organized  effort  in  behalf  of  the  orphan.  By 
his  invitation  and  at  his  expense,  John  H.  Mills,  of  North 
Carolina,  the  great  friend  of  the  orphan,  visited  and  ad- 
dressed on  August  15,  1888,  the  Roanoke  Association  at 
Oak  Grove  Church,  Pittsylvania  County.  This  address 
was  followed  by  a  resolution  calling  for  the  appointment 
of  a  committee  to  confer  with  other  Associations  in  re- 
gard to  the  establishment  of  an  orphanage.  The  General 
Association  met  that  fall  in  Bristol.  J.  R.  Moffett  and  a 
few  others  gathered  in  the  basement  of  the  church  to 
deliberate  as  to  the  matter  of  an  orphanage.  One  of 
their  number,  Rev.  Dr.  George  Cooper,  was  asked  to  pre- 
sent the  matter  to  the  Association.  This  he  did  and,  after 
discussion,  participated  in  by  Dr.  Cooper,  J.  R.  Moffett 
and  others,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  receive  bids  for 
the  location  of  the  orphanage.  The  following  year  the 
Orphanage  Board  was  established.  While  Moffett  was 
not  appointed  on  the  committee  named  at  Bristol,  nor  on 
the  Board  when  it  was  organized,  still  his  interest  in  the 
great  work  never  flagged.  In  the  general  temperance 
movement  in  the  State  and  in  the  Good  Templars,  Mof- 
fett was  very  active.  As  a  boy  he  had  prepared  a  tem- 
perance pledge  and  called  on  his  companions  to  sign  it. 
He  had  been  influential  in  getting  his  mother  church  and 
the  Shiloh  Association  to  pass  strong  temperance  resolu- 
tions.   With  a  Seminary  friend  he  held  a  tabernacle  meet- 


JOHN  ROBERTS  MOFFETT       89 

ing  in  Norfolk  which  greatly  aroused  temperance  people. 
He  paid  a  visit  to  Southwest  Virginia  and  so  exposed  the 
"blind  tiger"  men  in  Salem  as  to  lead  to  over  one  hundred 
arrests  for  violation  of  the  local-option  law.  In  the  gen- 
eral gatherings  of  the  Good  Templars  he  was  called  on 
to  speak  and  his  paper,  Anti-Liquor,  was  endorsed.  Nor 
was  his  temperance  work  only  public ;  he  would  follow 
the  tempted  young  man  into  the  saloon  and  persuade  him 
not  to  drink  and  take  his  own  money  and  furnish  the 
drunkard's  family  with  food.  At  the  General  Associa- 
tion of  1890  he  offered  an  amendment  to  the  constitution 
providing  for  the  appointment  annually  of  a  committee 
of  five  to  "inquire  concerning  the  needs  of  and  stimulate 
interest  in  the  cause  of  temperance  throughout  the  Asso- 
ciation." This  resolution  was  referred  to  a  committee 
of  five,  Moffett  being  one  of  the  five.  A  report  signed 
by  four  of  the  committee  was  adverse  to  the  standing 
committee  on  temperance  and  this  report  was  adopted. 
Moffett,  however,  stood  to  his  guns  and  presented  a  mi- 
nority report.  It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  for  the 
past  two  years  the  General  Association  has  appointed  a 
committee  of  five  to  report  on  temperance. 

In  1891  Moffett  worked  out  a  plan  to  bring  together 
in  Richmond  during  the  session  of  the  Legislature  all  the 
temperance  workers  of  the  State  of  all  shades  of  opinion. 
The  plan  was  successfully  carried  out.  Some  250  tem- 
perance workers  came  together,  John  E.  Massey,  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  presiding  over  the 
body.  A  bill  embodying  the  principles  of  the  Anti-Sa- 
loon League  of  to-day  was  drawn,  presented  to  the  Leg- 
islature and  promptly  by  reference  to  a  committee  buried 
forever.  His  paper,  the  Anti-Liquor,  at  the  end  of  a 
year,  the  subscription  list  having  gone  to  5,000,  was 
changed  from  a  monthly  to  a  weekly  publication.  Gradu- 
ally Moffett  was  drawn  into  the  field  of  politics.     When 


90  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

he  became  convinced  that  neither  of  the  two  great  na- 
tional poHtical  parties  were  wilhng  to  help  the  temper- 
ance cause,  his  sympathy  went  to  the  Prohibition  party, 
or  the  Third  party,  as  it  was  then  called.  Before  long  it 
was  evident  that  Moffett  had  arrayed  against  him  the 
political  organizations  and  the  newspapers  of  his  city. 
In  a  local-option  election,  when  he  took  his  stand  in  front 
of  a  speaker  from  a  distance  whom  the  crowd  had  treated 
in  a  discourteous  way,  a  half -drunk  man  placed  a  pistol 
at  his  breast  and  pulled  the  trigger.  Fortunately,  the  pis- 
tol hung  fire,  otherwise  Moffett  must  have  been  instantly 
killed.  Hatred  to  him  among  the  politicians  grew.  He 
was  misrepresented  and  threatened.  One  of  the  party 
organs  said  :  "Woe  be  to  you,  Mr.  Moffett,  if  McKinney 
should  be  defeated  by  votes  taken  from  the  white  ranks 
and  thrown  away  on  Taylor."  He  was  accused  of  want- 
ing negro  rule  and  a  petition  was  circulated  among  the 
liquor  men  to  buy  a  lot  and  build  a  house  for  a  negro 
next  to  Moffett's  house,  by  way  of  retaliation  for  his 
work  in  the  local-option  fight. 

Election  day  came  on.  The  Democrats  were  in  the 
habit  of  handing  out  tickets  to  Democrats  from  a  certain 
window.  From  no  one  else  could  Democratic  tickets  be 
secured.  This  amounted  to  intimidation.  Mr.  Moffett 
decided  to  print  a  facsimile  of  the  Democratic  ticket  to 
be  distributed  freely  among  Democrats,  so  as  to  break 
the  ticket  holder's  power.  A  ticket  was  printed,  an  exact 
copy  of  the  ticket  as  given  by  the  Chatham  Tribune. 
Through  a  mistake  on  the  morning  of  the  election,  some 
of  these  tickets  were  given  out  by  the  printer  of  the  Anti- 
Liquor,  contrary  to  Mr.  Moffett's  direction,  before  they 
had  been  compared  with  the  regular  ticket.  An  unim- 
portant variation  in  the  ticket  printed  in  the  Anti-Liquor 
office  at  once  gave  rise  to  a  report  on  the  part  of  Moffett's 
enemies  that  he  was  circulating  bogus  tickets.     Mr.  J.  T. 


JOHN  ROBERTS  MOFFETT       91 

Clark  mounted  the  steps  and  warned  the  people  of  bogus 
tickets  that  were  being  circulated  by  J.  R.  Moffett.  J.  R. 
Hill  quickly  appealed  to  the  crowd  to  know  if  they 
thought  Moffett  would  do  such  a  thing  and  received  a 
chorus  of  "Noes."  About  this  time  Moffett  appeared  on 
the  scene,  on  his  way  to  his  office,  it  being  still  an  early 
morning  hour.  Clark  rushed  on  him  and,  waving  some 
of  the  tickets  in  his  hand,  accused  him  of  fraud  and  of 
scattering  bogus  tickets  to  deceive  the  people.  Moffett 
dealt  his  accuser  a  stunning  blow  and  then,  mounting  the 
steps,  explained  what  he  had  done. 

The  fight  was  over.  Moffett  had  done  nothing  during 
the  election  that  he  regretted  save  the  blow  he  had  given 
Clark  and  now  the  session  of  the  General  Association  to 
be  held  in  Danville  was  at  hand.  He  met  his  kinspeople 
at  the  station  and  started  with  them  towards  the  First 
Church  (Danville),  where  the  Association  was  to  hold 
its  sessions.  On  the  way  to  the  church  he  went  into  the 
office  of  the  paper  to  leave  a  communication,  as  the  news- 
paper controversy  over  the  ticket  episode  was  not  yet 
over.  While  in  this  office  Clark  came  into  the  front,  saw 
Moffett  and  went  out  and  on  up  the  street  towards  the 
church.  A  little  later  Moffett  came  out  and  walked  rap- 
idly towards  the  church.  He  had  not  gone  far  before  a 
man  met  him,  there  w^as  the  report  of  a  pistol,  and  Mof- 
fett was  mortally  wounded.  This  was  Friday  night. 
Early  Sunday  morning  the  spirit  of  John  R.  Moffett 
passed  from  earth  to  heaven.  The  shooting  and  then  his 
untimely  death  cast  a  gloom  over  the  city  and  over  the 
General  Association.  During  the  last  hours  of  his  life, 
it  being  conceded  by  the  physicians  that  death  was  near 
at  hand,  many  friends  and  loved  ones  were  allowed  to 
see  him.  He  spoke  words  of  forgiveness  for  Clark,  the 
man  who  had  shot  him.  having  previously  made  deposi- 
tion that  Clark  had  made  the  assault  and  that  he  himself 


92  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

had  had  no  pistol.  The  crowd  that  attended  the  funeral 
on  Monday  overflowed  the  church  and  jammed  the  square 
in  front  of  the  church.  Addresses  on  this  sad  occasion 
were  made  by  Rev.  Dr.  W.  W.  Landrum  and  Rev.  Dr. 
W.  E.  Hatcher,  numerous  other  ministers  taking  part  in 
the  services.  Memorial  services  were  held  later  at  Gourd- 
vine  Church  and  at  Beulah  Church.  From  all  parts  of 
the  country  there  came  expressions  of  sorrow  and  dismay 
at  his  sudden  and  shocking  taking-off.  The  result  of  the 
trial,  a  verdict  of  manslaughter  with  a  sentence  of  five 
years  in  the  penitentiary,  was  a  surprise  and  disappoint- 
ment to  the  general  public,  even  the  Court  of  Appeals 
saying:  'Tn  short,  there  is  no  element  of  self-defense 
in  the  case,  and  the  verdict,  so  far  from  being  without 
evidence  to  support  it,  is  remarkable  for  its  mildness." 
Resolutions  setting  forth  his  work  and  expressing  sorrow 
at  his  death  were  passed  not  only  by  his  church  and  by 
the  Roanoke  Association,  but  also  by  numerous  Good 
Templar  lodges  and  by  the  Prohibition  Gubernatorial 
Convention,  which  met  September,  1893,  in  Richmond. 
Temperance  papers  all  over  the  land  and  others,  too, 
spoke  in  no  uncertain  language  as  to  his  death  and  con- 
cerning the  verdict  rendered  against  Clark.  So  wide  had 
been  the  interest  awakened  by  Moffett's  death  that  the 
temperance  people  of  Ohio  employed  Olin  J.  Ross,  a 
rising  young  lawyer,  and  sent  him  to  Danville  to  assist 
in  the  prosecution  of  Clark. 

The  church  which  Mr.  Moffett  built  in  North  Danville 
is  now  known  as  the  Moffett  Memorial  Church,  his  name 
is  forever  linked  with  the  cause  of  temperance  in  Vir- 
ginia, nor  ought  we  to  forget  that  he  first  moved  among 
Virginia  Baptists  to  establish  the  Orphanage  of  which 
they  are  now  so  proud. 


PLEASANT  BROWN 

The  record  of  the  Hfe  of  Pleasant  Brown  is  meager. 
Here  was  a  hfe  that  stretched  over  ahnost  the  whole  of 
the  wonderful  nineteenth  century.  He  saw  the  light  a 
decade  before  Adoniram  Judson  went  to  India,  yet  be- 
fore his  death  Virginia  Baptists  alone  were  giving 
$17,000  to  foreign  missions.  When  on  February  25, 
1891,  at  his  home  in  Franklin  County,  he  departed  this 
life,  he  had  reached  the  good  age  of  eighty-nine  years 
and  two  months.  For  fifty  years  or  more  he  had  been 
an  ordained  minister  of  the  Baptist  denomination.  He 
"performed  much  labor  without  compensation  or  but  very 
little."  He  served  the  following  churches:  Mount 
Neriah,  Providence,  Mount  Pleasant,  Halesford,  Red 
Hill,  and  perhaps  others.  He  seems  to  have  been  pastor 
of  Red  Hill,  Franklin  County,  Strawberry  Association, 
at  two  different  times,  and  the  second  of  these  pastorates 
lasted  some  fourteen  years.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Brown 
was  not  as  fluent  as  many  are,  but  that  his  life  and  de- 
portment made  a  living  epistle  known  and  read  of  all 
men.  Red  Hill  was  not  a  large  church,  during  all  the 
years  Mr.  Brown  was  its  pastor  not  numbering  one  hun- 
dred members.  There  was  preaching  here  once  a  month 
— and  it  seems  that  for  some  time  this  was  Mr.  Brown's 
only  church.  See  him,  as  in  buggy,  or  more  probably 
mounted  on  his  faithful  horse,  carrying  his  saddle-bags, 
month  by  month,  he  made  his  way  to  Red  Hill,  doubt- 
less laboring  over  many  a  red  hill  before  he  reached  his 
appointment.  His  sermons  may  not  have  been  eloquent, 
but  doubtless  many  hearts  were  cheered  by  his  kind  words 
and  faithful  spirit.     Some  two  years  before  his  end  his 

93 


94  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

physical  strength  gave  way  and  now  he  needed  much 
care.  His  wife,  his  only  son  and  only  daughter  had 
passed  away  some  years  before.  His  niece,  Mrs.  S. 
Richardson,  aided  by  her  family,  at  his  old  homestead, 
gave  him  constant  and  kind  attention  through  all  his 
affliction  until  the  end  came.  It  was  of  God's  mercy 
that  such  good  and  patient  hands  should  thus  have  min- 
istered to  this  old  man,  to  this  man  of  God,  in  his  declin- 
ing days.  Let  their  memory  be  preserved  and  honored 
along  with  that  of  him  they  helped.  For  years  in  the 
minutes  of  the  General  Association,  Elder  Brown's  post- 
office  was  set  down  as  Taylor's  Store,  Franklin  County; 
at  an  earlier  date  it  had  been  Hales  ford. 


SAMUEL  HARRIS 

This  sketch  is,  with  one  or  two  slight  adcHtions  and 
some  verbal  changes,  in  abbreviated  form,  the  articles 
which  appeared  in  the  Herald,  April  11  and  18,  1891, 
from  the  pen  of  Mr.  John  Hart. 

Samuel  Harris,  the  son  of  William  Harris  and  Mary- 
Pollard  Harris,  was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Virginia, 
December  24,  1806.  He  was  not  the  child  of  wealth, 
and  his  opportunities  for  early  education  were  scanty. 
He  learned  to  work  and  not  to  be  ashamed  of  work,  and 
thus  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  sturdy,  if  modest,  self- 
reliance  that  marked  his  life  and  which  stands  in  sharp 
contrast  with  the  please-help-me  style  of  many  young 
fellows  in  later  times.  In  the  summer  of  1831  young 
Harris  became  a  member  of  a  Bedford  Baptist  church 
named  Difficult.  What  a  name!  And  yet  how  appro- 
priate to  any  Baptist  Church  that  is  strenuously  true  to 
its  mission  in  the  world.  Here  was  the  beginning  of  the 
young  man's  journey  up  the  hill  Difficulty.  For  in  no 
long  time  God  wrought  into  his  mind  and  heart  the  con- 
viction that  he  must  preach  the  gospel.  His  modest 
common  sense  taught  him  that  he  needed  preparation. 
About  that  time  was  founded  the  Richmond  Seminary 
(now  Richmond  College),  under  the  management  of 
Robert  Ryland.  To  this  school  young  Harris  turned  his 
eyes.  And  towards  this  school  in  the  summer  of  1834 
he  turned  his  feet.  For  some  time  before  the  session 
was  to  open,  with  a  scanty  supply  of  needments  in  a 
bundle  on  his  back  and  a  scantier  supply  of  money  in 
his  pocket,  he  took  the  road  on  foot  from  Bedford  to 
Richmond.     On  this  trip  he  fell  in  at  a  meeting  of  a 

95 


96  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

District  Association,  probably  the  James  River  or  the 
Albemarle.  He  stopped  to  listen  with  one  half-dollar 
left.  An  appeal  was  made  on  behalf  of  an  old  preacher 
who,  worn  out  in  harness,  needed  help.  The  young  man's 
half-dollar  went.  Meantime  it  became  known  that  the 
wayfarer  was  a  young  preacher  on  the  way  to  the  Semi- 
nary. He  was  invited  to  preach  and  he  preached.  When 
the  time  came  to  continue  his  journey,  thoughtful  breth- 
ren placed  in  his  hands  a  ticket  to  Richmond  by  packet 
boat  and  $5.00  in  money.  At  the  Seminary,  besides  his 
work  as  a  student,  he  preached  quite  regularly  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  city  and  filled  in  his  vacations  with 
work  as  a  colporteur.  His  course  at  the  Seminary  com- 
pleted, he  was  ordained  in  February,  1838,  at  the  Second 
Baptist  Church,  Richmond,  the  presbytery  being  formed 
of  J.  B.  Jeter,  Jas.  B.  Taylor,  Robert  Ryland,  Henry 
Keeling,  and  W.  F.  Nelson.  His  first  pastorate  seems  to 
have  been  that  of  Winn's  Church,  near  Richmond,  but 
before  long  he  was  called  to  the  Southanna,  and  settling 
in  the  neighborhood,  he  became  identified  with  the  Goshen 
Association.  Within  the  limits  of  that  Association  he 
had  charge  at  different  times  of  the  churches  at  Carmel, 
Williams  Church,  Good  Hope.  Lower  Gold  Mine,  Little 
River,  Zion,  Forest  Hill,  and  Trinity.  He  resigned  the 
last  of  his  charges  in  1888.  Thus  for  fifty  years  he  was 
continuously  in  the  pastoral  office ;  for  a  good  many  more 
than  fifty  years  he  preached  the  gospel.  Mr.  Harris 
came  into  the  Association  just  as  she  was  entering  on  the 
high  tide  of  a  remarkable  prosperity.  She  was  about  to 
assume  that  independent  position  by  which  her  own  Ex- 
ecutive Board  became  the  custodian  and  the  disburser  of 
the  missionary  gifts  of  the  churches.  From  that  time  the 
Old  Goshen  had  no  more  steadfast  and  sagacious  sup- 
porter than  he.  Nor  was  his  affection  lessened  by  the 
alliance  which  he  soon  formed  with  one  of  her  daughters. 


SAMUEL  HARRIS  97 

In  1840  he  married  Mary  Ann  Harris  (born  and  bred 
in  the  Southanna  neighborhood  and  for  more  than  fifty 
years  a  member  of  the  Southanna  Church).  Delicate  in 
body,  retiring  in  disposition,  she  stood  faithfully  at  his 
side  for  more  than  half  a  century,  suffering  bodily  pain 
often,  but  always  patient — a  fine  example  of  the  tender, 
the  wise,  the  loyal  wife.  She  did  not  spend  much  time 
in  what  has  now  become  an  important  phase  of  woman's 
work.  Her  circumstances  as  well  as  her  disposition  se- 
cluded her  from  that.  But  to  the  most  important  aspects 
of  a  woman's  work,  to  the  duties  of  wife  and  of  mother 
and  of  keeper  of  the  house,  she  devoted  herself  with  un- 
failing assiduity.  And  so  she  richly  justified  the  words 
which  her  husband  often  applied  to  her,  the  words  in 
which  Solomon  (Prov.  31:10-31)  describes  the  mother, 
the  wife  and  the  mistress  of  the  maidens.  He  was  elected 
moderator  of  the  Goshen  when,  September  4-6,  1857,  it 
met  at  Burruss  Church,  Mount  Carmel,  Caroline  County, 
and  this  was  doubtless  but  one  of  his  elections  to  this 
office. 

It  remains  now  to  speak  of  Samuel  Harris  as  a  man 
and  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  Sometimes  we  admire 
the  preacher  while  we  do  not  approve  of  the  man.  In 
other  cases  we  respect  the  man  but  can  not  admire  the 
preacher.  With  respect  to  Mr.  Harris,  this  distinction 
was  not  necessary.  To  those  who  knew  him  best  the 
man  was  the  preacher  and  the  preacher  the  man.  If  in 
his  case  the  distinction  is  drawn,  it  is  because  he  is  one 
of  a  class  that  seems  to  be  vanishing.  He  was  a  type  of 
the  old-fashioned  country  Baptist  preacliers — such  as 
Frazer  and  Allen  and  Herndon  and  Coleman.  He  was  a 
business  man  and,  like  many  of  the  old  preachers,  was  a 
successful  business  man.  He  worked  his  farm  and  sold 
tobacco  and  corn  and  wheat.  Samuel  Harris  was  an 
economical  man  and,  therefore,  a  reasonably  thrifty  one. 


98  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

I  doubt  if  in  any  year  of  a  long  life  as  the  head  of  a  fam- 
ily his  expenses  ever  exceeded  his  income.  The  income 
may  have  been  narrow ;  the  expenses  were  made  nar- 
rower. Here  is  an  example  of  his  economy  combined 
with  his  integrity.  When  he  left  the  Seminary  the  Board 
held  his  bonds  for  the  money  aid  they  had  given  him. 
By  rigid  economy  out  of  a  scanty  income  he  saved  the 
money  to  pay  these  bonds.  Upon  tendering  the  money, 
however,  to  the  proper  authorities  he  found  that  his  old 
church.  Difficult,  had  paid  the  bonds.  He  was  not  what 
is  usually  called  a  great  preacher.  Some  of  the  qualities 
deemed  necessary  to  the  orator  he  lacked.  That  mobility 
of  feature  and  expression  which  spontaneously  adjusts 
itself  to  the  passing  shades  of  thought  and  feeling — that 
resonant  flexibility  of  musical  tones  which  thrills  as  no 
other  music  can  thrill — those  graceful  movements  of  hand 
and  head  and  body  which  seem  to  respond  without  effort 
to  the  pulsations  of  the  soul,  these  things  Samuel  Harris 
had  not  in  any  conspicuous  measure.  He  was  almost 
without  imagination.  But  even  with  these  lacks  Mr. 
Harris  was  a  preacher  of  power  whom  the  people  heard 
gladly.  He  was  simple,  he  was  direct,  he  was  argumen- 
tative, he  was  tender,  and  he  was  in  deadly  earnest.  He 
believed  the  Bible — he  believed  it  all — and  he  believed  it 
with  all  his  might.  The  secret  of  his  power  lay  here  in 
the  downrightness  of  his  own  faith  and  the  terrible  earn- 
estness with  which  he  urged  this  faith  on  others.  And 
yet  his  was  not  the  earnestness  of  loud  asseveration. 
That  is  rarely  terrible.  There  was  that  in  the  manner  of 
the  man,  in  the  tones  of  the  man,  sometimes  in  the  tears 
of  the  man  that  carried  to  every  hearer  the  conviction  of 
his  deep  sincerity.  With  him  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  was 
salvation ;  the  rejection  of  Jesus  Christ  was  real,  unques- 
tionable and  everlasting  hell.  It  never  entered  his  thought 
that  Gethsemane  and  Calvary  were  merely  tragic  scenes 


SAMUEL  HARRIS  99 

in  a  ponderous  comedy,  played  for  the  transient  illusion 
of  the  world,  while  God  secretly  meant,  in  virtue  of  His 
universal  Fatherhood,  to  save  men  anyhow.  And  hence 
he  deeply  believed  that  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a 
finality  and  that  God,  the  loving,  the  merciful,  and  the 
just,  has  no  scheme  for  human  recovery  and  salvation 
save  the  plan  which  is  revealed  through  the  divine  Son 
and  the  divine  Spirit.  With  this  conviction  penetrating 
his  whole  being  there  was  always  in  his  preaching  an  in- 
describable solemnity.  His  most  marked  characteristic 
in  the  pulpit  was  tender  solemnity,  the  solemnity  of  a  man 
profoundly  convinced  that  the  embracing  of  that  truth 
is  life,  its  rejection  death,  and  profoundly  convinced  that 
only  the  Holy  Spirit  can  lead  to  the  effectual  acceptance 
of  that  truth.  To  Samuel  Harris,  Jesus  Christ  was  al- 
ways divine — always  majestic  and  worthy  of  worship, 
hence  no  man  ever  heard  him  in  private  or  in  public  use 
one  word  of  this  flippant,  familiar  "dear  Jesus"  style  that 
is  common  now.  Samuel  Harris  and  L.  W.  Allen,  who 
often  preached,  together  in  protracted  meetings,  were 
complements  of  each  other.  In  doctrine,  Allen  was  in- 
clined to  be  Arminian ;  Harris  was  strictly  Calvinistic. 
In  manner,  Allen  was  fiery  and  impetuous;  Harris  was 
calmer  and  self-contained.  Allen's  sermons  were  remem- 
bered and  wrought  their  effect  by  the  power  of  particular 
passages ;  Harris'  sermons,  more  regularly  and  logically 
constructed,  were  cumulative  and  the  deepest  impression 
accompanied  the  utterance  of  the  last  words.  In  exposi- 
tion Mr.  Harris  was  singularly  sound  and  sagacious.  To 
a  great  degree  he  made  the  Bible  its  own  interpreter. 
Not  often  did  he  fail  to  concentrate  on  a  disputed  pas- 
sage the  light  that  was  to  be  gathered  from  the  other 
Scriptures.  To  one  who  saw  him  only  in  the  pulpit  it 
would  not  have  occurred  that  there  was  in  him  a  vein  of 
humor.     Yet  he  had  it,  and  the  gift  made  him  a  very 


100         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

pleasant  companion.  One  of  the  traits  of  the  man  al- 
most painfully  marked  was  a  shrinking  modesty  that 
shunned  publicity.  Doubtless  he  never  rose  to  speak, 
while  preaching  to  his  congregations,  without  some  trepi- 
dation. In  the  prime  of  his  manhood  he  could  hardly  be 
induced  to  preach  to  a  city  audience.  Once  he  visited  his 
daughter  at  school  in  Charlottesville,  and  the  pastor,  Dr. 
J.  C.  Long,  with  difficulty  prevailed  on  him  to  preach. 
He  did  preach.  He  had  liberty  and  preached  well,  and 
he  knew  that  he  preached  well,  and  he  enjoyed  it  both 
during  the  sermon  and  after  it.  He  was  almost  gay  that 
afternoon.  Dr.  L.  B.  Anderson,  of  Norfolk,  says  that 
as  a  pastor  Mr.  Harris  was  kind,  attentive,  sympathetic, 
prudent,  punctual,  liberal  but  firm,  loving  and  forbearing, 
l3ut  unswerving  in  principle.  As  he  neared  the  end  of 
his  life  he  declared  that  he  was  sometimes  more  oppressed 
with  fear  and  misgivings  than  in  the  former  days  of 
active  service.  The  passages  he  quoted  in  this  connection 
showed  not  that  fear  and  misgivings  are  a  necessary  part 
of  the  Christian  experience,  but  that  we  rest  more  in 
faith  and  in  hope  than  we  do  in  knoivlcdge.  On  Satur- 
day, March  28,  1891,  this  man  of  God  departed  this  life, 
and  two  days  later,  that  is,  on  Monday,  March  30,  his 
wife  followed  him  to  the  grave.  "Lovely  and  pleasant 
in  their  lives,  and  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided." 


REUBEN  R.  OWENS 

Reuben  R.  Owens  was  born  in  King  George  County, 
Virginia,  February  20,  1823.  He  graduated  at  Colum- 
bian College,  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1851.  He,  and  his 
brothers,  Putnam  and  Warren,  were  Baptist  ministers ; 
his  ordination  took  place  September  1,  1852,  w^hen  he 
became  pastor  of  Newville  and  Antioch  churches  in  Sus- 
sex County ;  here  he  remained  five  years.  On  December 
21,  1853,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  F.  Simons,  of 
Nansemond  County.  For  two  years  he  lived  in  Missouri, 
teaching  in  the  Lexington  Female  College.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Virginia  he  was  for  three  years  a  missionary  of 
the  Goshen  Association  to  Southwest  Virginia,  making 
Abingdon  his  home.  His  next  work  was  in  Tennessee 
and  Southwest  Virginia.  In  1867  he  returned  to  the 
Portsmouth  Association,  settling  in  Nansemond  County. 
The  next  year  his  post-office  was  Windsor,  Isle  of  Wight 
County,  and  the  next  he  was  pastor  of  the  Millfield  and 
Tucker's  Swamp  churches,  Portsmouth  Association. 
Later  he  served  the  Beaver  Dam,  Great  Fork,  and  Boy- 
kin's  churches.  Nearly  all  of  the  rest  of  his  life  he  was 
pastor  of  Colosse  and  Western  Branch  churches,  Ports- 
mouth Association.  His  presentation  of  the  gospel  mes- 
sage was  marked  by  unction.  He  constantly  grew  in 
the  affection  of  his  people.  For  some  years  before  his 
death,  which  took  place  April  14,  1891,  his  feeble  health 
greatly  hindered  his  activity.  His  funeral,  held  at  the 
Western  Branch  Church,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense 
congregation,  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  F.  Deans, 
who  also  wrote  for  the  Herald  a  sketch  of  his  life.  In 
the  main,  the  facts  of  this  article  are  from  that  sketch. 
Brother  Owens  left  a  wife  and  seven  children. 

101 


EGBERT  BOLLING  WINFREY 

Egbert  Boiling  Winfrey,  a  son  of  George  H.  and 
Judith  C.  Winfrey,  was  born  March  21,  1868,  in  Buck- 
ingham County,  Virginia.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  Sharon  Church  by 
Rev.  L.  R.  Thornhill.  From  January,  1884,  to  Septem- 
ber, 1888,  he  lived  in  Spottsylvania  County,  in  the  home 
of  his  brother.  Rev.  E.  W.  Winfrey.  While  here  the 
question  of  his  life  work  vi^as  much  with  him,  and  after 
serious  thought  and  much  prayer,  he  decided  to  become 
a  minister  of  the  gospel.  The  session  of  1888-9  he  stud- 
ied at  Homestead  Academy,  Chesterfield  County,  whose 
principal  was  Rev.  L.  W.  Moore.  During  that  vacation 
he  labored  as  a  colporteur,  and  in  the  fall  entered  Rich- 
mond College.  This  session  he  won  the  medal  in  the 
Philologian  Society  for  improvement  in  debate.  During 
the  summer  of  1890  he  held  protracted  meetings  in  the 
Goshen  Association,  and  in  the  fall  accepted  a  call  to 
Bethany  Church,  Caroline  County.  He  did  not,  how- 
ever, give  up  his  course  at  the  college,  his  plan  being  to 
carry  on  his  preaching  and  his  studies  together.  The 
double  work  was  too  much  for  him,  and  doubtless  "inces- 
sant toil  and  the  burden  of  anxiety  for  souls  made  his 
body  an  easier  prey  to  disease."  May  15,  1891,  was  a 
sad  day  at  Richmond  College.  No  classes  met.  In  one 
of  the  upper  rooms  a  struggle  was  going  on  for  life. 
Soon  after  noon  "a  stricken  father,  a  broken-hearted 
mother,  and  a  crushed  brother  filed  slowly  down  the  long 
stairway  and  left  their  dead."  The  burial  took  place  on 
Saturday  at  the  old  homestead  in  Buckingham  and  the 
next  day  at   Sharon  memorial  services  were  held,  and 

102 


EGBERT  BOLLING  WINFREE  103 

Rev.  Dr.  C.  H.  Ryland,  Messrs.  W.  B.  Loving,  M.  J. 
Hoover,  J.  E.  Hickson,  of  the  College,  the  venerable 
Rev.  W.  C.  Hall  and  Rev.  L.  R.  Thornhill  spoke.  The 
last  speaker  called  Mr.  Winfrey's  comrades  and  compan- 
ions to  accept  Jesus,  and  ten  responded  to  the  call ;  "the 
scene  was  memorable  in  its  tender  impressiveness." 

This  young  man's  "sweet  gospel  sermons"  had  been 
heard  at  Waller's,  Zoar,  Wilderness,  Flat  Run,  Bethany, 
churches  of  the  Goshen  Association ;  his  home  had  been 
in  the  James  River  Association ;  at  Richmond  College  in 
two  sessions  he  had  won  the  confidence  and  affection  of 
faculty  and  students;  for  seven  months  he  served  Beth- 
any Church  as  under-shepherd. 


ISAAC  T.  WALLACE 

Isaac  T.  Wallace  was  born  in  Norfolk  County,  Vir- 
ginia, on  February  27,  1829.  When  he  was  some  ten 
years  old  his  parents  died. 

He  became  a  Christian  while  yet  a  youth  and  was  bap- 
tized by  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Council.  He  entered  Richmond 
College  as  a  ministerial  student  and  graduated  in  1857, 
in  the  class  with  John  W.  McCown.  Stephen  E.  Morgan, 
Edward  Eppes,  W.  F.  G.  Garnett,  Jno.  M.  Gregory,  and 
A.  T.  Goodwin.  Of  this  seven,  one  became  a  physician, 
three  lawyers,  two  preachers,  and  one,  who  a  little  while 
later  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  a  farmer.  While 
at  college  Mr.  Wallace  did  good  work  in  Fulton,  the 
eastern  section  of  Richmond,  as  missionary  under  the 
direction  of  the  ladies  of  the  First  Baptist  Church.  His 
ordination  took  place,  "with  imposing  ceremonies,"  at 
Mulberry  Grove  Church,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hume  and 
Rev.  Henry  Watkins  conducting  the  exercises.  His  first 
pastorate,  from  1861  to  1862,  was  v/ith  Hebron  (South- 
ampton County)  and  High  Hills  (Sussex  County) 
churches.  He  answered  the  call  of  war  and  became  the 
chaplain  of  the  Forty-first  Virginia  Regiment.  After 
serving  in  this  capacity  for  some  eighteen  months,  he  took 
charge  of  a  school  in  Henrico  County.  For  the  rest  of 
the  War  he  was  a  teacher,  at  the  same  time  preaching  to 
the  colored  people  in  the  basement  of  the  Leigh  Street 
Baptist  Church.  He  now  became  pastor  again,  having, 
first.  Walnut  Grove,  in  Hanover  County,  and  then  Em- 
maus,  in  New  Kent  County.  After  three  successful  years 
he  was  next  in  Gloucester  and  Mathews  Counties.  In 
1872  his  health  failed  and  he  returned  to  Richmond,  as 
his  friends  thought,  to  die.    His  life  was  spared  and  once 

104 


ISAAC  T.  WALLACE  105 

again  he  began  to  preach,  ministering  now  once  more 
to  Walnut  Grove  and  also  to  Antioch  and  New  Bridge, 
all  in  the  Dover  Association.  His  health  again,  in  a 
measure,  failed,  so  he  had  to  give  up  the  ministry,  yet 
he  continued  for  awhile,  as  he  was  able,  to  speak  for  the 
Master,  in  Chesterfield  at  Branch's,  at  Cool  Spring  in 
Hanover,  and  at  East  End  in  Richmond.  Of  necessity 
he  now  engaged  in  the  publishing  business,  for  he  would 
have  preferred  to  continue  to  preach.  In  his  sixty-third 
year  he  died  at  his  home  in  Richmond,  July  20,  1891. 


SAMUEL  THOMAS  FULLER* 

Samuel  Thomas  Fuller  was  born,  of  pious  parents, 
near  the  town  of  Woodlawn,  Talbot  County,  Georgia,  in 
April,  1843.  At  an  early  age  he  was  converted  and  bap- 
tized into  the  fellowship  of  the  Valley  Grove  Baptist 
Church  by  the  pastor.  Elder  John  Harris.  Steadfastness 
of  purpose  and  devotion  to  duty  brought  him  the  mas- 
tery of  the  branches  taught  in  the  public  schools  and  soon 
he  was  himself  a  teacher.  The  impression  that  he  ought 
to  preach  led  him  to  give  much  time  to  the  study  of  the 
Bible,  Spurgeon's  sermons  and  similar  books.  When  he 
was  about  eighteen  years  old  the  call  to  arms  led  him  to 
enlist  as  a  volunteer,  and  joining  the  Ninth  Regiment, 
he  was  soon  on  the  battle  fields  of  Virginia.  In  a  short 
while  a  wound  sent  him  home  on  a  furlough,  but  before 
he  was  able  to  bear  arms  again  he  was  once  more  in  Vir- 
ginia, seeking  a  wounded  comrade,  but  his  friend  was 
dead,  so  back  to  Georgia  he  went  with  his  sad  charge. 
He  had  not  been  back  in  the  ranks  long  before  he  was 
captured  and  sent  as  a  prisoner  to  Point  Lookout,  where 
he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  War.  When  he 
reached  his  Georgia  home  he  found  that  all  had  been  de- 
stroyed by  fire  or  carried  off  by  Wilson's  raiders,  but  he 
was  soon  at  work  with  energy  seeking  to  get  the  farm 
into  good  shape  once  more.  After  four  or  five  years  the 
conviction  that  he  was  called  to  preach  led  him  to  turn 
the  farm  over  to  his  brother,  O.  V.  Fuller,  and  to  go  to 


*The  information  which  has  made  this  sketch  possible  was  fur- 
nished by  Rev.  J.  P.  McCabe,  who  is  at  present  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Martinsville,  in  whose  "city  of  the  dead"  Mr.  Fuller 
sleeps  his  last  sleep. 

106 


SAMUEL  THOMAS  FULLER  107 

the  Seminary  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina.  After  a 
year  he  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Hamilton,  Ga., 
and  during  his  pastorate  here  was  married  to  Miss  S.  A. 
Johnson.  He  was  not  satisfied  with  his  equipment  for  his 
life  work,  so  he  went  to  Louisville,  taking  his  family  with 
him  and,  while  carrying  on  his  studies  at  the  Seminary, 
did  work  as  a  city  missionary.  After  a  year  as  pastor  at 
Aiken,  S.  C,  he  accepted  the  care  of  the  church  at  Lan- 
caster, S.  C.  At  this  place  typhoid  fever  laid  him  low 
and  eventually  developed  into  kidney  trouble  that  was 
finally  the  cause  of  his  death. 

While  at  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  in  Rich- 
mond, in  1888,  he  received  a  call  to  a  field  in  the  Blue 
Ridge  Association,  composed  of  these  churches :  Cas- 
cade, True  Vine,  Martinsville,  and  Stuart,  all  of  them 
weak  and  dependent  on  the  State  Mission  Board.  The 
w^ork  demanded  by  this  field  was  far  too  heavy  for  one 
as  frail  as  Mr.  Fuller,  but  he  laid  hold  of  the  situation 
with  patience  and  perseverance,  going  to  his  appoint- 
ments with  great  regularity.  At  Martinsville  the  church 
numbered  only  about  a  score,,  and  the  only  property 
owned  was  a  lot.  He  went  from  house  to  house  visiting 
his  little  flock,  and  once  a  month  preached  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  In  his  second  year  he  and  his  faithful 
band  had  the  joy  of  dedicating  a  meeting-house  at  Mar- 
tinsville. One  Sunday  his  text  was:  "Prepare  to  meet 
thy  God" ;  the  sermon  was  a  solemn  one,  but  no  one 
dreamed  that  it  w^as  his  last  message  in  that  pulpit,  yet 
it  was  even  so;  in  three  months  he  passed  away,  after 
months  of  suffering,  on  July  23,  1891.  The  funeral  was 
conducted  by  the  pastors  of  the  tow^n  and  Rev.  J.  R.  Har- 
rison. On  December  15,  1907,  the  body  of  Mrs.  Fuller 
was  laid  beside  that  of  her  husband  in  "Oakwood."  Tw^o 
daughters  survive. 


WILLIAM  B.  PEDIGO 

About  the  third  year  of  the  nineteenth  century  WilHam 
B.  Pedigo  first  saw  the  Hght.  He  was  ordained  in  1857 
and  gave  most  of  his  ministerial  service  to  churches  in 
Montgomery  and  Giles  Counties.  At  different  times  he 
was  pastor  of  these  churches :  Bradshaw's  Creek,  Tom's 
Creek,  Sugar  Grove,  and  Sinking  Creek.  "For  a  long 
time  he  was  the  sole  representative  of  the  Baptist  minis- 
try in  the  lower  end  of  that  (Montgomery)  county.  He 
was  a  plain,  devout  and  earnest  man  and  possessed  some 
gifts  as  a  speaker.  He  was  a  mechanical  genius  and 
could  turn  his  hand  to  almost  anything,  and  this  capacity 
oftentimes  served  him  in  cases  of  emergency.  He  was 
poor  in  this  world's  goods  and  did  all  his  traveling  afoot, 
going  wheresoever  opportunity  offered  as  the  King's  al- 
moner to  dispense  the  true  riches."  He  continued  to 
preach  occasionally  until  laid  aside  by  increasing  years 
and  infirmities.  Lafayette,  Montgomery  County,  was  for 
many  years  his  home,  but  towards  the  end  of  his  life  he 
and  his  wife  were  dwelling  in  a  box  car  at  Franklin  Junc- 
tion, Pittsylvania  County.  When  the  Ministers'  Relief 
Fund  Trustees  learned  of  the  situation  of  this  venerable 
and  worthy  couple  they  at  once  went  to  their  relief.  Mr. 
T.  H.  Ellett,  president  of  this  Fund,  calls  attention  to  the 
fact  that  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Hutson  was  converted  under  the 
preaching  of  William  B.  Pedigo.  Brother  Pedigo  died 
in  Bland  County  in  the  summer  of  1891. 


108 


HARRISON  H.  BANKS 

This  sketch  is  based  upon  the  obituary  in  the  minutes 
of  the  General  Association  for  1891  and  on  the  file  of 
the  minutes  of  the  same  body.  Harrison  H.  Banks  was 
born  in  Princess  Anne  County  in  1801.  He  was  married 
in  early  life  to  Miss  Martha  Bartee  of  the  same  county. 
Five  of  the  children  of  this  union  survived  him.  They 
grew  up  faithful  and  reverent  to  the  God  of  their  father. 
For  over  sixty  years  he  was  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and 
for  fifty  of  these  years  proclaimed  the  glad  news  of  sal- 
vation. Hundreds  turned  to  God  under  his  message. 
The  London  Bridge  Church,  Portsmouth  Association, 
was  his  charge  for  some  years,  and  after  this  pastorate 
ceased  for  a  time  "London  Bridge"  was  still  his  post- 
office.  He  was  unusually  blessed  with  good  health,  his 
body  remaining  strong  almost  to  the  last  of  his  pilgrim- 
age of  ninety-one  years.  "His  hand  had  been  kept  busy, 
his  heart  had  been  kept  pure,  and  his  mind  ever  active; 
the  wheels  of  time  did  not  break  or  rust,  but  simply  ran 
down — as  the  clock  in  the  steeple  of  time  struck  the  hour 
for  his  peaceful  departure."  He  died,  at  the  home  of 
his  daughter,  in  Norfolk,  Va.,  October  10,  1891,  and  his 
funeral,  which  took  place  at  the  Freemason  Street  Bap- 
tist Church,  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  M.  B.  Wharton, 
assisted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Calvin  S.  Blackwell. 


109 


GEORGE  P.  LUCK 

John  P.  Luck,  coming  to  this  country  from  England, 
settled  first  in  Caroline  County,  Virginia,  and  later  pur- 
chased a  farm  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Botetourt 
Springs,  where  Hollins  College  is  now  located.  Here  he 
kept  for  many  years  a  tavern  known  as  "The  Black 
Horse  Stand."  Tradition  has  it  that  President  Andrew 
Jackson,  going  backward  and  forward  between  his  home 
in  Tennessee  and  Washington,  often  stopped  at  the 
"Black  Horse."  Mr.  Luck  was  married  twice,  his  second 
wife  being  the  widow  Calhoun,  of  Franklin  County,  her 
maiden  name  having  been  McGhee.  The  children  of  this 
union  were  George  P.  and  Lucy,  the  former  being  born 
December  29,  1817.  When  George  was  quite  young  his 
father  died.  Before  the  death  of  his  mother,  which  oc- 
curred a  few  years  later,  he  had  gone  perhaps  more  than 
once  with  her  on  her  annual  visit  to  her  people  in  Caro- 
line County.  This  trip,  made  in  the  family  carriage, 
along  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  across  the  Blue  Ridge,  and 
through  Charlottesville,  was  doubtless  a  great  treat  to  the 
growing  boy  and  his  sister.  After  his  mother's  death  his 
half-brother  Nathan  sent  him  first  to  private  schools  and 
then  to  the  New  London  Academy,  Bedford  County. 
When  he  left  school  he  took  an  extensive  Southern  trip, 
going  as  far  west  as  Texas  and  returning  by  way  of  St. 
Louis,  which  was  then  being  laid  off  in  town  lots.  The 
West  did  not  attract  him,  so  he  did  not  settle  there. 
Upon  his  return  from  the  West  he  bought  a  large  farm 
near  the  headwaters  of  Goose  Creek  Valley,  Bedford 
County.  His  first  wife  lived  something  more  than  a 
year,  and  about  1844  he  was  married  again,  his  second 

110 


GEORGE  P.  LUCK  111 

wife  being  Miss  Nannie  Buford,  the  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham Buford  and  the  niece  of  Captain  Paschal  Buford, 
"a  man  of  notoriety  and  distinction  in  old  Bedford 
County."  She  was  "a  woman  of  strong  Christian  char- 
acter and  an  ardent  Baptist,"  and  a  member  of  Mount 
Zion  Church.  Her  father  was  a  deacon  in  this  church, 
and  into  his  home,  where  all  Baptist  preachers  were  wel- 
come, Drs.  Jeter  and  Witt,  the  Leftwiches  and  "Father" 
Harris  often  came.  For  twelve  or  fifteen  years  after  her 
marriage  Mrs.  Luck's  prayer  for  the  conversion  of  her 
husband  was  not  answered.  Finally,  however,  one  day 
her  husband  walked  into  her  chamber  and  said:  "Wife, 
your  prayers  have  been  answered.  I  have  accepted  Christ 
as  my  Saviour."  By  family  history  and  traditions  he 
was  inclined  towards  the  Episcopal  Church,  but  upon  dili- 
gent study  of  his  Bible  he  was  led  to  unite  with  the 
Mount  Zion  Baptist  Church.  Before  long  he  was  talk- 
ing in  church  meetings  and  prayer  meetings.  He  was 
fond  of  children  and  presently  became  superintendent  of 
the  Walnut  Grove  School-house  Sunday  school. 

In  1859  or  1860  he  was  ordained  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  J.  P.  Corron,  J.  A.  Davis,  and  J.  R.  Harrison 
being  members  of  the  presbytery.  Mr.  Luck  was,  before 
the  Civil  War,  a  man  of  ample  means,  and  he  never  cared 
to  become  a  regular  pastor  of  a  church,  choosing  rather 
to  preach  to  pastorless  churches  and  in  destitute  places. 
His  farm  yielded  him  an  ample  income,  and,  besides,  he 
was  an  excellent  surveyor.  After  the  War  he  was  pastor 
and  received  some  small  compensation  for  his  services. 
He  aided  in  organizing  a  church  and  building  a  meeting- 
house at  Elliston  (Big  Spring),  Montgomery  County, 
and  was  pastor  here  for  a  number  of  years.  He  served 
also  Back  Creek,  Botetourt  County,  for  many  years.  To 
this  church,  when  it  happened  that  the  horses  on  the  farm 
were  busy,  he  would  often  walk,  crossing  the  Bhte  Ridge. 


112         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Towards  the  end  of  his  life  he  built  a  meeting-house  at 
Mountain  View  not  far  from  Blue  Ridge  Springs,  where 
he  was  pastor  for  a  season.  Jennings'  Creek  and  a 
school-house  on  James  River,  below  Buchanan,  were  also 
points  at  which  he  often  preached.  He  loved  to  preach 
where  people  rarely  had  a  chance  to  hear  the  gospel.  It 
was  said  that  he  entertained  more  people  and  preached 
more  for  nothing  than  any  other  man  in  Bedford  County. 
He  loved  to  hear  preaching  and  to  preach.  Shortly  be- 
fore his  death,  when  he  had  grown  quite  deaf,  he  went 
to  hear  Rev.  Dr.  E.  C.  Dargan.  When  he  came  out  he 
said:  "Brother  Dargan,  judging  from  what  I  heard  of 
your  sermon  you  preached  a  fine  sermon.  The  only  word 
I  heard  was  'Jesus.'  When  you  preach  Him  you  preach 
all,  and  may  God  bless  you."  As  he  said  these  words, 
with  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks,  he  gave  his  brother 
preacher  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  trustee  of  Hollins  Institute  and  a  great  admirer 
of  Dr.  Charles  L.  Cocke. 

While  an  earnest  student  of  the  Bible  and  an  effective 
preacher,  "he  led  an  active  out-of-door  life,  was  fond 
of  hunting  and  fishing,  and  his  fund  of  anecdotes  and 
reminiscences  seemed  exhaustless.  His  presence  brought 
gladness  into  any  assembly  and  his  boyish  exuberance 
never  deserted  him.  During  his  illness,  having  some 
difficulty  in  swallowing,  he  humorously  recalled  Sam 
Weller's  power  of  suction.  In  September,  1891,  he 
rode  across  the  mountain  fifteen  miles,  preached  two 
sermons,  and  went  to  a  friend's  house  to  spend  the 
night.  Before  the  next  morning  he  was  slightly  para- 
lyzed, but  insisted  on  riding  home.  He  reached  there 
quite  exhausted.  As  he  was  ministered  to  be  lisped : 
"Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the 
days  of  my  life  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 
forever. 


GEORGE  P.  LUCK  113 

On  October  7,  1891,  he  passed  away.  At  the  very 
end,  when  he  could  no  longer  speak,  a  baby  grand- 
daughter was  placed  near  him  on  the  bed.  His  face 
brightened,  he  toyed  with  the  little  hand  and  then  his 
spirit  slipped  away.  His  wife,  who  preceded  him  by 
five  years  to  the  unseen  world,  bore  him  seven  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Two  of  the  sons,  Rev.  J.  P.  and 
Rev.  J.  M.  Luck,  are  Baptist  ministers. 


J.  M.  BUTLER 

On  March  28,  1812,  some  five  miles  west  of  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  John  M.  Butler  was  born.  In  1824  he 
came  to  Hve  in  Richmond,  and  on  June  8,  1831,  was 
converted.  He  united  with  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
that  city,  being  baptized  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  John  Kerr. 
About  1835  he  moved  his  membership  to  the  Third 
(Grace  Street)  Church,  then  in  charge  of  L.  A.  Ander- 
son. He  was  a  good  singer,  and  in  this  congregation, 
as  well  as  in  others,  rendered  valuable  service  by  train- 
ing the  young  in  sacred  song.  Mr.  Butler  did  much 
pioneer  work  in  Richmond.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  1850  and  his  first  labor  in  the  ministry  was  on 
Oregon  Hill,  a  section  of  Richmond  near  Hollywood 
Cemetery.  Here  he  organized  and  conducted  a  Sunday 
school  and  preached,  thus  laying  the  foundations  of  the 
Pine  Street  Baptist  Church,  which  has  now  a  mem- 
bership of  nearly  1,900  and  one  of  the  largest  Sunday 
schools  in  the  land.  In  its  early  days  this  organization 
was  known  as  the  Belvidere  Church.  On  April  18, 
1852,  he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry  at  Grace 
Street  Church  and  became  at  once  pastor  of  Bethel, 
Chesterfield  County,  but  continued  to  reside  in  Rich- 
mond. His  pastorate  here  was  short,  and  the  records 
do  not  show  where  his  next  work  was,  though  prob- 
ably it  was  at  this  time  that  he  had  charge  of  a  colored 
church  in  Petersburg,  for  during  the  War  he  lived  in 
Petersburg  and  for  awhile  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the 
Byrne  Street  Church.  After  the  War  he  returned  to 
Richmond  and  for  several  years  (1868-69)  was  pastor 
of  the  Belvidere  Church,  which  he  had  founded.    In  this 

114 


J.  M.  BUTLER  115 

pastorate  he  was  succeeded  by  A.  E.  Dickinson,  and  he 
by  J.  B.  Hutson.  Again  Mr.  Butler  engaged  in  pioneer 
city  work,  preaching  for  some  two  years  (1874-5  and 
1877)  at  Sidney,  which  afterwards  became  the  West 
Main  and  finally  the  Grove  Avenue  Church.  From 
Sidney,  Mr.  Butler  went  to  the  eastern  end  of  Richmond 
and  became  pastor  of  the  Fulton  Baptist  Church,  re- 
maining in  this  position  some  four  (1878-81)  years. 
Finally,  he  was  pastor  of  the  Clopton  Street  Church, 
Manchester.  Towards  the  end  of  his  life  he  was  en- 
gaged for  all  his  time  in  secular  business,  yet  he  con- 
tinued to  preach  to  the  close  of  his  Hfe.  He  died  Oc- 
tober 13,  1891. 


JOHN  JESSIE 

Russell  County,  one  of  the  fairest  and  most  fertile 
counties  of  the  Old  Dominion,  was  the  birthplace  of 
John  Jessie.  He  was  born  in  the  year  1815.  Lee 
County,  however,  was  the  scene  of  his  life  work.  He 
was  married  about  1840  to  Miss  Dollie  Candler,  and 
this  union,  which  was  a  most  happy  one,  and  of  which 
eleven  children  were  born,  lasted  forty-eight  years.  His 
second  wife,  who  was  Miss  Mary  Kyle,  of  Missouri,  and 
to  whom  he  was  married  in  1889,  survived  him.  He 
was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  and  was  an 
active  minister  of  the  gospel  for  about  forty-five  years. 
So  far  as  the  records  at  hand  show,  his  work  was  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Clinch  Valley  Association,  and  in  this 
section  he  exerted  a  great  influence.  He  was  modera- 
tor of  this  body  for  several  years  and  the  pastor  of 
one  of  its  churches.  Royal  Oak,  for  twenty  years  or 
more.  He  was  a  man  of  wonderful  physical  strength 
and  was  quite  vigorous  and  active  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  died,  after  a  brief  illness,  of  grippe,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1891.  His  funeral  services  were  conducted  by 
Rev.  Dr.  J.  T.  Kincannon,  of  Bristol,  Tenn.  The  fol- 
lowing summer  at  the  meeting  of  the  Clinch  Valley 
Association,  Professor  W.  F.  Ramey  paid  a  touching 
tribute  to  his  memory.  At  this  same  session  of  the 
Association  this  question  came  up  from  Royal  Oak,  the 
church  where  Mr.  Jessie  had  been  pastor  up  to  1889: 
''Inform  the  church  whether  it  is  a  violation  of  the  Four- 
teenth Article  of  the  Constitution  for  a  member  of  the 
church  to  sell  apples  or  corn  to  a  distiller,  knowing  the 
same  is  to  be  manufactured  into  intoxicating  liquor  and 
sold  to  be  used  as  a  beverage."  The  committee  to  whom 
the  question  had  been  referred  decided  that  the  offense 
was  not  a  literal  violation  of  the  Constitution,  but  rec- 
ommended that  the  offender  be  reprimanded  and,  if  he 
persist,  be  excluded. 

116 


CORNELIUS  TYREE* 

Cornelius  Tyree  was  born  in  Amherst  County,  Vir- 
ginia, September  14,  1814.  His  parents  were  Jacob  and 
Martha  Tyree.  The  mother  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  while  the  father  did  not  be- 
come a  Christian  till  late  in  life,  when  he  united  with 
the  Baptists.  He  writes :  "Among  the  earliest  things 
I  remember  of  myself  was  my  mother  having  me 
sprinkled  by  an  aged  Methodist  preacher,  who  prayed 
that  I  might  be  'as  Cornelius  of  old.'  "  Early  in  life 
he  was  the  subject  of  religious  impressions.  As  he  grew 
older,  and  friends  exhorted  him  to  seek  the  Lord,  these 
impressions  were  deepened.  He  writes :  "For  weeks 
I  remained  distressed.  An  old  colored  woman  urged 
me  to  pray,  but  said  nothing  about  Christ."  After  a 
time  of  conflict  and  suffering,  he  attended  a  meeting  at 
Moriah  Church  in  Amherst.  There  was  great  religious 
interest,  and  young  Tyree,  along  with  others,  "went 
forward  for  prayer."  Ere  long  the  darkness  and  dis- 
tress of  soul  was  scattered,  and  the  anxious  inquirer 
was  filled  with  light  and  love.  The  young  convert 
searched  the  New  Testament  for  light  as  to  duty.  He 
records:  "The  third  chapter  of  Matthew  decided  me 
to  be  a  Baptist.  I  learned  there  that  Christ  was  im- 
mersed, and  that  he  was  immersed  as  the  pattern  for  his 
people.  Without  consultation,  without  reading  any 
book  for  or  against  the  Baptist  views,  my  purpose  was 
fixed.  When  I  told  my  mother  my  intention  she  exhib- 
ited some  disappointment,  but  was  too  good  to  object." 

*This  sketch  is  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  J.  B.  Taylor,  and  with  his 
consent  it  is  somewhat  abridged. 

117 


118         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

He  was  received  into  Mount  Moriah  Church  and  bap- 
tized in  Buffalo  River,  August,  1833,  along  with  thirty 
other  candidates,  by  the  venerable  John  Davis. 

During  the  year  1836,  while  engaged  in  teaching,. 
Brother  Tyree  became  exercised  on  the  subject  of 
preaching  the  gospel;  subscribed  for  the  Religious  Her- 
ald, purchased  Watson's  "Institutes,"  Dwight's  "Lec- 
tures," and  Scott's  "Commentary."  These  books  were 
read  with  "delight  and  profit."  A  missionary  of  the 
General  Association,  Rev.  J.  N.  Johnson,  visited  the 
young  teacher,  took  him  with  him  to  his  appointments, 
and  encouraged  him  to  follow  the  sermon  with  an  ex- 
hortation. Soon  he  preached  his  first  sermon  at  Ebenezer 
and  Mount  Moriah  churches.  While  a  teacher  near 
Lynchburg,  he  had  become  a  member  of  the  church 
there,  which  licensed  him  to  preach  in  1837.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  he  set  out  for  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege, passing  through  Richmond.  Here  he  met  for  the 
first  time  with  J.  B.  Jeter.  At  Williamsburg,  the  seat 
of  William  and  Mary  College,  he  boarded  along  with 
Elias  Dodson  and  James  Clopton  in  the  home  of  Rev. 
Scervant  Jones  and  studied  "Algebra,  History,  Logic, 
Chemistry,  and  Greek."  The  next  session  was  spent  at 
Columbian  College,  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  had 
as  roommate  H.  H.  Tucker.  The  following  references 
to  the  life  at  this  institution  will  be  interesting: 

"Frequently  attending  the  debates  in  Congress,  I  heard 
Clay,  Webster,  and  Calhoun  make  some  of  their  finest 
speeches,  and  was  thus  much  aided  in  the  study  and 
acquisition  of  the  art  of  public  speaking.  I  attended  the 
ministry  of  a  Presbyterian  minister  named  Noble  more 
than  any  other.  His  church  was  nearer  college  and  he 
was  superior  to  any  Baptist  preacher  at  that  time  in  the 
city.  I  obtained  from  the  college  library  the  sermons 
of  Saurin  and  read  them  with  great  profit  and  delight. 


CORNELIUS  TYREE  119 

These  sermons  greatly  aided  me  in  forming  my  style 
and  method  of  sermonizing.  When  I  became  a  pastor 
I  purchased  tliem  and  they  have  been  of  great  help  in 
the  preparation  of  sermons.  In  the  summer  of  1838  I 
returned  to  Amherst  and,  being  straitened  in  finances 
and  feeble  in  health,  did  not  return  to  college,  but  ac- 
cepted an  appointment  from  the  General  Association  of 
Virginia  to  labor  as  a  missionary  in  the  counties  of 
Greenbrier  and  Monroe,  and  with  all  the  books  I  owned 
in  my  saddle-bags,  rode  on  horseback  to  Lewisburg.  My 
preaching  places  were  Lewisburg,  Alderson's,  Union, 
Red  Sulphur,  and  Sinking  Creek." 

In  September,  1839,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work 
of  the  ministry,  in  connection  with  the  Greenbrier  Asso- 
ciation held  at  Amwell  Church,  Fayette  County,  and 
soon  after  transferred  to  do  missionary  work  in  Rock- 
bridge County.  Here  he  organized  two  new  churches, 
one  of  them  being  at  Lexington,  where  in  1840  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  Baptist  house  of  worship 
built.  The  following  reference  to  his  life  at  Lexington 
will  be  of  interest :  "In  the  second  year  of  my  pastorate, 
Professor  Geo.  E.  Dabney,  of  Washington  College,  pro- 
fessed religion  and  joined  our  little  struggling  band.  He 
was  a  most  valuable  addition.  His  noble  and  accom- 
plished wife,  Mrs.  Cornelia  M.  Dabney,  had  been  from 
the  start  of  my  ministry  in  that  town  my  most  efficient 
helper.  Never  have  I  known  so  valuable  a  Christian 
woman.  Till  her  death  she  was  my  fastest  friend.  I 
was  young,  inexperienced  and  yet  fearless  in  preaching 
on  peculiar  views.  One  Sabbath,  while  I  was  absent  at 
another  appointment,  a  pastor  in  the  town  received  into 
his  church  a  young  man  who  had  been  excluded  from 
our  fellowship,  whom  he  sprinkled,  stating  that  he  had 
been  immersed  by  a  Baptist  minister,  but  that  immersion 
was  not  baptism  at  all.     Most  of  our  members  heard  the 


120         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

remark.  I  determined  in  the  strength  of  God  to  make  a 
formal  defense  of  our  views,  and  gave  notice  in  the 
town  papers  that  on  a  certain  Sabbath  I  would  show  that 
immersion  was  essential  to  Bible  baptism  and  that  be- 
lievers only  were  proper  subjects.  In  the  morning  the 
attendance  was  large.  Never  did  I  speak  with  more 
vigor,  confidence,  and  effect.  When  I  closed  at  night 
the  church  immediately  had  a  meeting  and  voted  that  the 
sermon  be  published  in  pamphlet  form." 

On  the  11th  of  November,  1841,  Brother  Tyree  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sophia  H.  Pulliam,  of  Alle- 
ghany County.  For  many  years  she  was  a  great  sufferer 
from  disease  and  died  March  16,  1884,  at  Salem,  Vir- 
ginia. On  April  15,  1885,  he  was  married  to  Miss  T. 
Nannie  Abraham.     She  survived  him. 

In  April,  1845,  Elder  Tyree,  to  the  great  regret  of 
his  churches  in  the  Valley,  removed  to  Powhatan  County, 
and  succeeded  the  gifted  Jesse  Witt  as  pastor  of  several 
important  churches,  with  two  of  vvhich,  Peterville  and 
Fine  Creek,  he  remained  twenty-seven  years. 

Concerning  his  summer  vacations,  he  writes :  "Dur- 
ing my  stay  in  Powhatan  I  spent  one  summer  month 
in  each  year  at  some  of  the  mineral  springs  of  the  State, 
often  at  the  White .  Sulphur,  more  frequently  at  the 
Rockbridge  Alum."  Mentioning  the  opportunities  for 
preaching  at  these  watering-places,  he  tells  an  interesting 
incident  in  connection  with  the  conversion  of  Mrs.  Gov- 
ernor Bell  from  Romanism:  "In  August,  1869,  I  was 
with  my  wife  at  the  Healing  Springs.  Though  feeble, 
I  consented  to  preach  on  Sabbath.  The  congregation 
was  large  and  the  sermon  on  the  'Elements  of  Christian 
Character.'  Governor  Bell  and  his  apparently  gay  wife 
\vere  among  my  hearers.  The  next  day  I  went  to  Rock- 
bridge Alum,  and  on  the  day  following  Governor  Bell 
and  wife  came  to  the  same  place.     Mrs.  Bell  sought  my 


CORNELIUS  TYREE  121 

acquaintance  and  at  once  expressed  a  desire  to  have  a 
conversation  with  me  on  personal  religion.  She  gave 
me  in  substance  the  following  history  of  herself :  'I  re- 
side in  North  Carolina  and  was  for  years  a  high  church 
Episcopalian.  When  Bishop  Ives  left  the  Episcopalian 
Church  and  joined  the  Roman  Catholic,  I  also  left  and 
joined  the  Catholics.  When  he  went  to  Rome  I  went 
with  him.  For  months  I  remained  in  the  great  city, 
often  visiting  the  Vatican,  and  once  knelt  at  the  feet  of 
the  Pope.  I  had  not  been  in  Rome  long  before  I  lost 
confidence  in  the  religious  integrity  of  Bishop  Ives  and 
was  led  to  doubt  the  scripturalness  of  Romanism.  This 
doubt  increased  till  there,  at  its  seat,  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  whole  system  is  fraud.  I  returned  to 
the  United  States  under  the  care  of  the  American  min- 
ister to  Italy.  When  I  reached  home  I  was  greatly  dis- 
tressed and  strongly  inclined  to  doubt  all  religions.  In 
this  state  of  mind  I  determined  to  do  what  I  had  never 
done — read  the  Bible  to  find  out  whether  the  Christian 
religion  was  true  and  whether  I  was  a  Christian.  In 
searching  the  Scriptures  I  found  out  I  was  a  miserable, 
unpardoned  sinner,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  embrace 
Christ  as  my  Saviour.  For  weeks  I  was  utterly  happy. 
I  then  determined  to  search  the  Scriptures  to  find  out 
the  true  church.  I  knew  but  little  of  the  Baptists  and 
had  a  great  prejudice  against  them.  But  in  searching 
the  Scriptures  for  the  true  church,  I  found  myself  im- 
bibing the  sentiments  I  heard  Baptists  held.  At  this 
stage,  my  husband,  fearing  I  was  in  danger  of  mental 
derangement,  carried  me  to  the  White  Sulphur.  There 
I  heard  Dr.  Fuller  preach.  The  next  Sabbath  I  heard 
you  at  the  Healing  Springs,  and  though  your  sermon 
did  not  discuss  the  peculiar  views  of  your  church,  it  has 
very  much  increased  my  proclivities  towards  your  people. 
Yet  there  are  difficulties  in  my  way.  and  I  have  sought 


122         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

this  interview  with  the  hope  of  having  them  removed. 
My  first  trouble  is,  whether  immersion  is  the  only  mode 
of  baptism.  That  it  is  one  mode,  I  have  no  doubt,  but  is 
it  under  all  circumstances  essential  to  the  ordinance?' 

"This  was  in  substance  the  point  on  which  she  wanted 
light.  I  went  fully  and  at  length  into  the  discussion  for 
and  against  the  position  that  immersion  is  essential  to 
Bible  baptism.  She  was  well  informed  as  to  the  com- 
mon arguments  against,  but  Vvas  not  aware  of  those  in 
favor  of  the  Baptist  view  of  this  question.  The  mean- 
ing of  the  Greek  word  haptizo,  the  places  chosen  to 
administer  the  ordinance,  the  baptism  of  Christ,  the  allu- 
sions to  it  as  a  burial,  together  with  the  well-known  fact 
that  1,300  years  after  the  apostolic  day  immersion  was 
in  all  countries  the  mode,  were  dwelt  on.  She  at  length 
with  delight  fully  accepted  the  position  that  immersion 
is  essential  to  Bible  baptism.  As  for  infant  baptism  we 
had  less  fe-ouble,  for,  said  she :  T  never  did  much  believe 
in  that,  and  I  very  readily  see  how  restricted  communion 
will  follow  if  nothing  is  baptism  but  immersion;  for  I 
always  believed  that  baptism  in  some  form  must  come 
before  sacramental  communion.'  She  then  wished  to 
know  as  to  whether  Baptist  ministers  were  scripturally 
qualified  to  administer  the  ordinance,  and  asked :  'Can 
your  ministers  trace  their  descent  back  to  the  Apostles?' 
On  this  point  I  found  more  trouble  in  satisfying  her 
than  ofi  any  other.  The  Romish  idea  of  there  being  only 
one  Church,  and  one  unbroken  succession  of  ministers, 
was  deeply  seated  in  her  convictions.  But  turning  her 
mind  to  what  she  seemed  never  to  have  known,  that  out- 
side of,  and  apart  from,  and  opposed  to,  the  Roman  hier- 
archy through  all  the  ages  there  had  existed  a  people 
called  by  different  names  who  had  held  our  principles, 
and  that  through  these  persecuted  peoples  our  principles 
and  succession  had  come  down   from  the   Apostles.     I 


CORNELIUS  TYREE  123 

said  to  her :  'I  am  more  fully  and  divinely  authorized 
to  baptize  you  than  is  the  Archbishop  of  London  or  the 
Pope  of  Rome.'  She  finall}',  with  great  apparent  joy, 
said :  'I  am  a  full  Baptist,  and  now  I  wish  you  to  go 
to  North  Carolina  and  baptize  me.'  I  said  to  her: 
'Madam,  I  am  in  feeble  health  and  not  physically  able 
to  comply  with  your  request  now,  but  this  much  I  will 
say,  I  am  going,  after  leaving  this  place,  to  Baltimore 
for  treatment.  If,  after  this,  I  am  improved  in  health 
enough,  I  will  with  great  pleasure  go  to  your  home  and 
baptize  you.'  A  few  weeks  after  my  return  to  Powhatan 
a  letter  was  received  from  Governor  Bell,  urging  me  to 
come  to  his  home  in  North  Carolina  and  baptize  his  wife. 
Accordingly,  Mrs.  Tyree  and  I  went  to  the  place  desig- 
nated. We  there  found  a  magnificent  carriage,  which 
bore  us  to  the  splendid  mansion  of  the  Governor.  He 
and  his  lovely  wife  received  us  most  gladly.  We  re- 
mained several  days.  I  selected  a  place  in  which  to  bap- 
tize this  excellent  lady,  when  on  the  very  day  we  fixed 
for  the  baptism  both  she  and  I  were  taken  very  sick.  I 
had  at  once  to  hasten  home ;  but  not  long  after  my  friend 
was  baptized  by  Dr.  Solomon  and  became  a  most  active 
and  useful  member  of  the  Warrenton  Baptist  Church. 
I  afterwards  met  Mrs.  Bell  at  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention in  Raleigh,  N.  C,  in  1872,  when  she  gave  me 
permission  to  make  her  conversion  from  Romanism  to 
Christ  and  Baptist  views  the  theme  of  a  tract." 

Brother  Tyree's  first  attempt  at  authorship  was  made 
during  his  residence  in  Powhatan.  Soon  after  his  set- 
tlement in  Powhatan  he  preached  at  all  of  his  churches 
from  Matt.  5:16,  a  sermon  on  "The  Moral  Power  of  a 
Religious  Life."  It  produced  a  good  impression.  He 
also  preached  it  as  an  introductory  sermon  before  the 
Middle  District  Association.  Rev.  Henry  Keeling,  edi- 
tor of  the  Baptist  Preacher,  asked  for  the  MS.,  which 


124         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

he  published  in  the  Preacher.  It  was  much  sought  after 
in  the  winters  of  1857-1858.  Expanded  into  a  book 
entitled  "The  Living  Epistle,"  it  was  submitted  to  Dr. 
J.  B.  Jeter,  with  the  request  that  he  should  give  his  can- 
did opinion  of  it.  He  wrote  by  all  means  to  publish  it. 
Sheldon  &  Blakeman  published  it,  allowing  the  author 
10  per  cent.  Three  thousand  copies  were  sold.  It  found 
a  favor  that  was  astonishing. 

In  this  connection  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  intro- 
duce the  following  communications,  which  appeared  in 
the  Religious  Herald  in  1886,  and  which  explain  them- 
selves : 

"'an   old  acquaintance   somewhat   changed 

"About  the  year  1859,  the  well-known  Baptist  pub- 
lishers, Sheldon,  Blakeman  &  Co.,  brought  out  a  book, 
the  title  page  of  which  reads  as  follows :  'The  Living 
Epistle;  or  the  Moral  Power  of  a  Religious  Life.  By 
Rev.  Cornelius  Tyree,  of  Powhatan  County,  Va.  With 
an  introduction  by  Rev.  R.  Fuller,  D.  D.,'  etc. 

"For  a  number  of  years  it  has  been  difficult  to  obtain 
a  copy  of  this  admirable  treatise.  A  few  months  ago, 
when  the  beloved  brother  who  wrote  it  was  visiting  me, 
he  inquired  if  there  was  an  extra  copy  of  it  in  my  library, 
as  he  wished  to  give  it  to  a  friend  and  had  only  one  of 
his  own.  This  week,  looking  over  some  publications  in 
a  Richmond  book  store,  I  came  across  (in  one  of  them) 
a  passage,  which  in  thought  and  language  seemed  fa- 
miliar. Reading  on,  I  found  whole  pages  of  a  similar 
character,  and  supposed  at  first  that  the  passages  were 
only  extracts  from  'The  Living  Epistle.'  But  seeing  no 
quotation  marks,  I  examined  more  closely,  and  found  to 
my  surprise  that  I  had  stumbled  upon  an  old  friend.  But 
the  'environment'  was  new,  for  the  title  page  read  as  fol- 
lows :  'Personal  Piety :  A  Help  to  Christians  to  Walk 
Worthy  of  Their  Calling.    By  C.  T.     Fifth  American  edi- 


CORNELIUS  TYREE  125 

tion.  New  York.  Thomas  Whittaker,'  etc.  The  book 
is  none  other  than  'The  Living  Epistle,'  though  it  is  not 
now  'known  and  read  of  all  men'  as  such.  The  'C.  T.' 
is  none  other  than  our  own  Cornelius  Tyree.  But  other 
strange  liberties  have  been  taken.  The  introduction  was 
written  by  that  'mighty  man  of  valor,'  Dr.  Richard  Ful- 
ler, but  his  name  is  omitted  altogether  from  the  title 
page  of  'Personal  Piety.'  Most  of  the  introduction  ap- 
pears, but  the  passage  which  speaks  of  'ecclesiastical 
bodies'  which  arrogate  the  title  of  'The  True  Church  of 
Christ'  is  omitted,  as  is  also  the  passage  which  refers  to 
'sacramental  religion ;  forms,  rites,  creeds,  "linen  decen- 
cies," apocryphal  successions,'  etc.  Similar  liberties  have 
been  taken  with  the  text  of  Brother  Tyree's  chapters. 
On  page  57,  of  the  'Living  Epistle,'  a  passage  begins 
thus:  'Baptism  is  faith's  first  development,'  etc.;  this  is 
left  out  entirely.  Similar  omissions  are  on  pages  83  and 
146.  In  chapter  3,  Brother  Tyree  says:  'The  divine 
plan  is,  that  we  first,  by  repentance  toward  God  and 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  become  inwardly  and  essentially 
religious,  and  then  appear  so  by  being  baptized  and  re- 
ceiving the  Lord's  supper.'  The  other  book  has  changed 
the  sentence  so  as  to  read :  'and  appear  so  by  becoming 
a  member  of  the  church  and  receiving  the  Lord's  supper.' 
This  will  suffice.  No  one  will  be  more  surprised  at  this 
than  Dr.  Tyree  himself.  By  the  time  this  is  in  print 
Brother  Tyree  will  have  seen  the  copy  which  I  pur- 
chased. Only  think  of  it,  he  has  been  supposing  that 
liis  book  was  out  of  print,  and  yet,  in  1884,  much  of  it, 
under  a  new  name,  was  in  its  fifth  edition. 

"It  is  possible  that  the  copyright  of  the  original  book 
may  have  been  bought  from  the  Sheldons,  but,  if  so,  why 
was  its  title  so  changed  as  to  make  its  authorship  obscure? 
And  surely  it  was  not  right  to  tamper  with  its  contents. 
Perhaps  somebody  was  deficient  in  'Personal  Piety.' 

"Lexington,  Va.  J.  B.  Taylor.^' 


126         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 


THE    STOLEN    BOOK    AGAIN 

"Soon  after  Dr.  Taylor  noticed  in  the  Herald  the  re- 
issue of  'The  Living  Epistle,'  by  T.  Whittaker,  of  New 
York,  under  the  title  of  'Personal  Piety,'  with  the  omis- 
sion of  the  name  of  the  author,  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Whit- 
taker, telling  him  he  had  published  my  book  under  an- 
other title.  He  replied  that  he  had  purchased  the  plates 
of  the  book  from  the  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society,  of 
New  York,  and  that  this  Society  printed  it  from  an  Eng- 
lish edition,  without  any  knowledge  that  it  was  written 
by  an  American  author.  Mr.  Whittaker  has  just  or- 
dered, and  forwarded  a  copy,  as  published  by  the  Eng- 
lish house,  and  it  turns  out  that  Mr.  David  Bogue,  of 
London,  has  for  years  been  printing  it,  with  an  exten- 
sive circulation.  The  English  edition  is  in  beautiful 
style,  with  not  only  the  entire  omission  of  the  author's 
name,  but  the  omission  of  every  expression  in  Dr.  Ful- 
ler's introduction  and  in  the  text  that  bore  in  the  least 
against  the  Episcopalians.  These  dishonest  suppressions 
and  omissions  were  clearly  done  by  the  English  pub- 
lisher. 

"Thus  these  three  houses  have  clandestinely  circulated 
my  book  to  an  extent  of  which  I  had  never  hoped  when 
I  wrote  it.  The  English  house  has  issued  23,000,  and 
the  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society  and  Mr.  Whittaker, 
up  to  1884,  issued  five  editions.  This  latter  gentleman 
has  written  to  me  that  he  had  no  knowledge  he  was  re- 
issuing an  American  book,  and  is  willing  to  make  all 
equitable  reparation.  I  have  written  to  the  London  pub- 
lisher, telling  him  that  in  the  absence  of  an  international 
copyright  law  by  which  I  might  seek  redress,  I  appealed 
to  him  as  a  Christian  gentleman,  governed  by  the  Chris- 
tian laws  and  motives,  to  restore  to  the  book  its  real  title 


CORNELIUS  TYREE  127 

and  also  the  name  of  the  author,  and  to  make  amends 
for  the  wrong  he  has  done.  It  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  he  will  heed  my  appeal. 

"I  hope  the  day  is  not  distant  when  a  new  and  im- 
proved edition  of  'The  Living  Epistle'  will  be  issued. 
Its  circulation  under  the  title  of  'Personal  Piety'  has 
been  among  Episcopalians  and  not  among  Baptists. 
This  I  infer  from  the  fact  that  the  English  and  Ameri- 
can are  Episcopal  publishing  houses.  Is  there  not  great 
need  among  our  people  for  books  after  the  order  of  the 
one  that  has  had  so  singular  a  history? 

"Salem,  Va.  C.  Tyree.'" 

In  1871.  Columbian  College  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  in  May,  1872,  he  re- 
moved to  Liberty,  Bedford  County,  and  became  pastor 
of  the  church  there,  and  also  of  Timber  Ridge  Church, 
a  few  miles  out  in  the  country.  He  says,  referring  to 
his  ministry  in  this  field :  "In  almost  every  year  there 
have  been  revivals.  While  I  have  labored  abroad  since 
I  have  been  in  Liberty,  I  have  done  so  much  less  than 
when  in  Powhatan."  This  was  partly  on  account  of 
his  wife's  protracted  ill  health.  During  his  residence  in 
Liberty,  he  prepared  the  book  entitled  "The  Glorious 
Sufficiency  of  Christ."  Referring  to  this,  he  writes : 
"Its  production  was  Providential.  In  riding  out  one 
morning  with  my  wife  and  Mrs.  Sallie  Hoffman,  I  was 
thrown  out  of  a  spring  wagon ;  two  of  my  ribs  were 
broken,  and  I  was  otherwise  very  much  hurt.  For  many 
days  I  was  compelled  to  remain  on  my  bed,  and  then 
for  a  week  or  more  could  only  sit  in  an  upright  position. 
While  thus  afflicted,  I  saw  in  the  American  Messenger, 
the  organ  of  the  American  Tract  Society,  that  a  Mr. 
Wood  had  left  to  this  great  Society  a  bequest  of  $1,500, 
the  interest  of  which  was  to  be  annually  awarded   for 


128         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

the  best  original  book  or  tract  which  the  Society  might 
pubHsh  on  the  glories  of  Christ's  character.  Having 
just  preached  a  series  of  Thursday  night  lectures  on  the 
fulness  of  Christ  (Col.  1  :19),  and  not  being  able  to  do 
anything  else,  I  determined  to  rewrite  and  condense  these 
lectures  into  a  small  book  and  offer  it  to  the  Society  for 
publication.  Accordingly,  holding  a  little  pasteboard 
with  one  hand  and  writing  with  the  other,  I  wrote  the 
work  in  some  four  or  five  days  and  forwarded  it.  For 
months  nothing  was  heard  from  the  MS.  After  six 
months,  Dr.  Rand,  the  secretary,  wrote,  informing  me 
that  the  publishing  committee  (one  from  each  of  five 
denominations)  had  determined  to  publish  and  stereo- 
type my  book,  and  also  to  award  to  it  the  Wood  prize, 
a  $40  medal  and  $50  in  money."  Dr.  Tyree  prepared 
and  published  a  tract  entitled  ''Close  Communion,  Scrip- 
tural and  Essential  to  the  Prosperity  of  Baptist 
Churches."  This  was  originally  a  discourse  preached  to 
his  churches  in  Powhatan  and  printed  at  their  request. 
It  was  afterwards  rewritten  and  published  in  tract  form, 
in  Salem.     This  is  a  most  admirable  publication. 

The  following  extracts  from  Dr.  Tyree's  reminiscences 
were  written  about  the  time  (1882)  when  his  pastorate 
at  Liberty  closed :  "For  nearly  forty  years  it  has  been 
my  privilege,  profit  and  duty  to  attend  the  annual  meet- 
ings of  the  General  Association  of  Virginia.  My  first 
attendance  was  in  1837.  I  went  from  Lynchburg  with 
my  pastor.  Rev.  A.  B.  Smith,  and  that  admirable  Chris- 
tian lady,  Mrs.  Ann  Hollins.  At  this  meeting  I  saw  for 
the  first  and  last  time  Rev.  Luther  Rice.  In  the  absence 
of  the  principal,  he  preached  the  introductory  sermon 
from  Acts  2  :23.  At  this  meeting  I  saw  for  the  first  time 
J.  B.  Taylor,  Sr.,  A.  M.  Poindexter,  Thos.  Hume,  Sr., 
A.  Hall,  H.  Keeling,  and  many  others.  The  main  theme 
of  discussion  was  the  formation  of  the  American  and 


CORNELIUS  TYREE  129 

Foreign  Bible  Society.  The  American  Bible  Society  had 
refused  to  make  appropriations  to  circulate  the  Burmese 
translation  made  by  Dr.  Judson,  in  which  the  Greek  verb 
bapti::o  had  been  rendered  in  the  Burmese  language  by 
a  word  that  meant  to  immerse,  on  the  ground  that  it 
was  a  sectarian  version.  At  this  meeting  I  saw  for  the 
third  time  that  prince  of  Virginia  Baptists,  Rev.  John 
Goodall.  He  was,  in  some  respects,  the  most  eloquent 
preaciier  I  have  ever  heard.  I  first  heard  him  in  Wil- 
liamsburg, while  I  was  a  student  there,  from  the  text, 
'Add  to  your  faith  virtue,'  etc.  This  sermon  stirred  the 
fountains  of  my  soul.  The  next  time  was  at  the  Red 
Oak  camp-meeting,  Buckingham  County,  August,  1838. 
His  text  was,  'All  things  work  together  for  good,'  etc., 
Romans  8  :28.  Of  all  the  sermons  I  ever  heard,  this  to 
me  was  the  most  comforting  and  encouraging.  In  1846 
and  1847  I  began  to  assume  some  little  prominence  in 
the  body  myself.  Four  times  I  preached  annual  sermons 
before  this  body  (twice  before  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board,  once  before  the  General  Association  itself).* 
This  latter  sermon  was  published  in  the  Herald.  I  was 
for  years  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  body,  and 
once  presided  as  its  president."  He  was  also  at  various 
times  connected  with  the  Western,  Valley,  Middle  Dis- 
trict and  Strawberry  Associations.  He  was  prominently 
connected  with  the  formation  of  the  Valley  Association, 
was  present  at  its  first  session,  was  its  clerk  for  several 
years,  preached  several  of  its  introductory  sermons  and 
gave  to  it  its  name. 

The  following  extracts,  written  about  1882,  relate  to 
books,  sermonizing,  pastoral  work :  "I  have  not  a  large, 
but  a  select  and  valuable  collection  of  religious  books, 
having  purchased  and  read  them  as  my  exigencies  re- 


*He  preached,  after  this,  the  introductory  sermon  in  1891,  which 
was  also  published. 


130         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

quired.  Of  uninspired  books.  I  owe  most  to  Butler's 
'Analogy,'  Saurin's  sermons,  and  Jay's  works.  If  I  ever 
learned  the  habit  of  logical,  clear,  succinct  and  pointed 
thinking,  it  was  from  the  early,  careful  study  of  Butler. 
If  I  ever  learned  anything  from  other  than  my  own  re- 
sources the  art  of  sermonizing,  it  has  come  from  that 
prince  of  uninspired  preachers,  James  Saurin. 

"As  to  my  style  of  speaking,  I  have  very  little  idea. 
I  know  it  has  many  defects,  which  I  constantly  try  to 
correct.  In  my  early  preaching  there  were  three  defects 
which  hindered  its  good  efifect.  They  were,  loudness, 
rapidity  J  and  indistinctness  in  the  articulation  of  certain 
words.  The  latter  by  long  and  persistent  endeavor  I 
have  greatly  corrected,  though  it  is  not  and  never  will 
be  entirely  corrected.  The  others  generally  are  much 
modified.  If  I  have  attained  any  success  in  the  great 
art  of  speaking  the  gospel,  it  has  been  by  being  a  con- 
stant self-critic.  For  Christ's  sake,  I  aim  to  make  my 
sermon  in  its  matter  and  manner  an  improvement  on  all 
th.at  I  have  preached  before.  The  system  of  homiletics 
by  wliich  I  have  tried  to  be  governed  has  been  to  stand 
up  before  the  people  and  plainly,  naturally,  affectionately 
and  scripturally  talk  to  them  about  Christ  and  the  things 
of  Christ." 

In  reference  to  pastoral  visiting,  he  says :  'Tn  all  my 
pastorates  I  have  been  more  complained  of  in  this  regard 
than  perhaps  any  other.  I  do  believe  that  there  is  a  wide- 
spread mistake  as  to  the  amount  of  visiting  a  pastor 
should  do.  The  principle  on  which  I  have  aimed  to  act 
has  been  to  visit  whenever  and  wherever  such  visits  were 
religiously  needed." 

In  reviewing  his  life,  Dr.  Tyree  writes  as  follows: 
"My  life  has  been  a  pleasant  and  favored  one.  As  a 
minister,  pastor,  evangelist,  and  author,  I  have  been  mar- 
velously  blessed." 


CORNELIUS  TYREE  131 

Referring  to  God's  guiding  hand,  he  records:  "I  have 
not  been  the  type  of  preacher  I  wished  to  be  when  com- 
mencing the  ministry,  nor  have  I  preached  where  I  most 
desired.  My  ideal  at  first  was  to  be  a  preacher  of  breadth 
and  pohsh  as  well  as  power.  Many  of  my  early  sermons 
aimed  in  this  direction.  But  owing  to  circumstances, 
being  compelled  to  preach  to  plain  people,  and  being  often 
thrown  into  meetings  where  the  object  was  to  bring  men 
to  Christ,  I  was  led  by  degrees  to  prepare  and  deliver 
plain,  simple  sermons,  addressed  mostly  to  the  conscience. 
For  years  nearly  all  of  my  sermons  have  been  of  this 
character.  For  many  years  I  have  been  a  dyspeptic,  and 
all  my  life  the  victim  of  frequent  and  terrible  nervous 
headaches.  Several  times  I  have  been  nigh  unto  death, 
and  yet  God  has  given  me  a  sufficient  amount  of  physi- 
cal and  mental  strength  to  be  almost  constantly  engaged 
in  preaching.  Another  instance  of  the  Divine  goodness 
that  I  desire  to  mention  is  the  amount  of  work  that  I 
have  been  able  to  do  not  only  in  traveling,  preaching, 
talking  and  visiting,  but  in  zvriting.  With  all  their  de- 
fects, I  have  some  450  MS.  sermons,  most  of  them 
carefullv  written,  two  books  published  and  a  larger  one 
in  MS.'' 

On  the  2nd  day  of  November,  1883,  Dr.  Tyree  re- 
moved from  Liberty  to  Salem,  giving  the  church  at  this 
place  half  of  his  time  and  the  churches  at  Fincastle,  Fort 
Lewis  and  Dublin  the  rest.  Here  are  a  few  brief  extracts 
from  a  note-book  in  wdiich  he  made  occasional  entries : 

April  26,  1884.  "Spent  ten  days  in  Brooklyn  and 
New  York.  Preached  at  Marcy  Avenue,  Calvary  and 
Madison  Avenue  churches." 

June  8.  "Preached  last  Sunday  the  baccalaureate 
sermon  at  Blacksburg  College  to  an  immense  crowd,  from 
2  Tim.  3:16." 

May  28,  1889.  "I  wish  to  record  the  birth  of  my  first- 
born, a  dear  little  boy  that  God  gave  us  on  Sabbath  morn- 


132         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

ing,  April  7,  1889.  So  soon  as  he  was  born,  our  physi- 
cian, Dr.  Sternes,  and  all  in  the  natal  room,  named  him 
Cornelius,  Jr." 

August  19,  1890.  ''Various  things  have  hindered  me 
from  being  as  devotional  of  late  as  I  might  and  ought 
to  have  been.  I  have  been  absorbed  in  preparing  for 
and  attending  to  the  details  of  the  recent  meeting  of  the 
Valley  Association  and  have  allowed  myself  to  lose  the 
habit  and  spirit  of  devotion.  In  no  sense  can  I  afford 
this.  Many  personal  and  relative  reasons  urge  me  to 
resume  the  habits  of  devotion  and,  God  helping  me,  I 
will  attain  unto  and  maintain  a  joyful  and  purifying 
intimacy  with  my  divine  Father  and  Saviour." 

November  22,  1890.  "I  went  on  the  11th  to  the  Gen- 
eral Association,  held  with  Leigh  Street  Church,  Rich- 
mond. Was  appointed  to  preach  the  next  introductory 
sermon.  May  my  Father  permit  me  to  live  in  vigor  to 
perform  this  service,  as  it  will  certainly  be  the  last  I  will 
ever  preach  before  this  body  that  has  for  so  many  years 
been  near  my  heart." 

Dr.  Tyree's  experiences  in  Salem  (the  last  years  of  his 
life)  were  very  happy.  He  often  visited  Hollins  Insti- 
tute and  preached  there,  and  greatly  enjoyed  the  fre- 
quent association  with  his  life-long  friend,  Chas.  L. 
Cocke.  He  took  interest  in  the  young  men  at  Roanoke 
College  and  the  Alleghany  Institute.  The  church  at 
Salem  grew  continuously  in  connection  with  conversions 
and  additions  from  people  moving  to  the  town.  He  was 
actively  engaged  in  evangelistic  labors,  holding  meetings 
with  neighboring  churches  as  well  as  in  remoter  parts 
of  the  State.  He  was  greatly  gratified  in  the  location 
of  the  Orphanage  at  Salem. 

Dr.  W.  E.  Hatcher  said :  "Dr.  Tyree  was  a  great 
preacher.  He  made  new  sermons  all  his  life,  and  yet  he 
probably  repeated  his  old  sermons  more  than  any  other 
man  in  the  State.     Dr.  Tyree  was  a  student,  and  many 


CORNELIUS  TYREE  133 

of  his  sermons  were  works  of  art,  made  in  moments  of 
his  best  inspiration  and  improved  by  preaching  under  the 
happiest  spiritual  excitement,  recast  from  time  to  time 
so  as  to  include  all  the  best  thought  they  called  forth 
from  year  to  year. 

"As  a  revivalist  he  had  widespread  and  honorable  suc- 
cess. His  sermons  were  short,  clear  as  the  sunlight, 
richly  evangelical,  tersely  and  compactly  constructed  and 
admirably  adapted  to  produce  immediate  effect.  His 
voice  was  solemn,  impressive  and  authoritative ;  his  man- 
ner was  full  of  candor  and  dignity;. his  denunciations  of 
sin  were  startling  and  eloquent,  and  his  exhortations 
were  well-nigh  irresistible.  Thousands  were  led  to  Christ 
by  his  preaching.  He  will  not  be  forgotten.  His  lithe 
and  erect  form,  his  agile  step,  his  bright,  piercing  eye, 
his  sharp-cut  and  intelligent  face,  and  his  stately  and  de- 
\'Out  bearing  will  be  distinctly  remembered  for  years  to 
come." 

At  4  p.  M.  on  Wednesday,  December  23,  1891,  he 
passed  away. 

On  Friday,  the  25th,  a  great  and  tearful  throng  assem- 
bled at  the  church,  where  so  long  the  man  of  God  had 
preached  the  everlasting  gospel.  Instead  of  the  shout 
and  din  of  Christmas  morning,  silence  reigned  through- 
out the  bereaved  and  stricken  community.  The  people 
had  no  heart  for  merry-making,  and  only  talked  and 
thought  of  the  common  sorrow.  The  sermon  was 
preached  by  Rev.  R.  R.  Acree.  Dr.  C.  F.  James  fol- 
lowed with  interesting  personal  reminiscences.  Rev.  J. 
A.  Davis,  of  Bedford  City;  Rev.  J.  R.  Bridges,  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church ;  Rev.  J.  S.  Hutchinson  and  Dr.  P. 
H.  Whisner,  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  Rev.  C.  A. 
Miller,  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  occupied  seats  in  the 
pulpit,  and  some  of  them  took  part  in  the  services.  A 
long  procession  followed  the  manly  form  of  the  noble 
Christian  warrior  to  beautiful  East  Hill  Cemetery,  where 
the  mortal  remains  were  laid  down  to  rest. 


EDWARD  J.  WILLIS 

While  Edward  J.  Willis  was  the  only  son  of  his 
mother,  he  grew  up  in  a  family  of  twenty-one  children. 
His  mother,  who  was  Miss  Susan  Fry,  of  Madison 
County,  died  about  a  year  after  her  marriage,  and  her 
husband,  Mr.  Larkin  Willis,  of  Orange  County,  married 
again.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Mary  Gordon  and  she 
bore  him  twenty  children.  Edward  was  born  in  1820. 
He  and  his  half-brother,  John  Churchill  Willis,  were 
baptized  at  the  same  time  by  Rev.  John  Churchill  Gor- 
don into  the  fellowship  of  Zoar  Church.  Edward  stud- 
ied in  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood  of  his  father's 
home  and  then  went  to  Williams  College  (1843-4),  and 
for  the  session  of  1841-2  to  the  University  of  Virginia; 
at  this  latter  institution  he  took  the  degree  of  B  L.  At 
an  early  age  he  married  Miss  Virginia  Snead,  of  Char- 
lottesville, Virginia,  and  then  began  the  practice  of  law 
at  Barboursville,  Virginia.  But  the  gold  fever  caught 
him  in  its  sweep  and  he  became  a  "Forty-niner,"  travel- 
ing overland  to  California,  where  for  a  season  he  handled 
the  pick.  Soon  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law  and  was 
elected  Circuit  Judge,  which  position  he  held  for  some 
years.  Finally  he  resigned  this  office  and,  having  become 
a  Baptist  minister,  organized  in  his  parlor  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Oakland,  California.  Nor  was  it  long  be- 
fore his  church  was  a  flourishing  body,  with  a  good  meet- 
ing-house. In  connection  with  his  work  as  pastor,  he 
edited  the  Pacific  Banner. 

In  1857,  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  Mr.  Willis  re- 
turned to  Virginia,  coming  by  way  of  Panama.  At  As- 
pinwall  he  and  his  family  were  thrown  into  prison,  and 
only  upon  the  intervention  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment were  they  released.     He  now  accepted  a  call  to 

134 


EDWARD  J.  WILLIS  135 

the  Leigh  Street  Baptist  Church,  Richmond.  Upon  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  became  chaplani  of  the 
Fifteenth  Virginia  Infantry  and  was  most  popular  with 
his  regiment.  When  the  Southern  army  was  reorgan- 
ized in  1862  he  received  a  commission  as  captain  of  ar- 
tillery. He  promptly  raised  a  full  company,  but  having 
difficulty  in  securing  guns,  his  company  was  mustered  in 
as  "Company  A,  Fifteenth  Virginia  Infantry."  At  the 
battle  of  Sharpsburg,  the  colonel  of  the  regimeiit  having 
been  wounded.  Willis  had  the  honor  of  commanding  the 
gallant  Fifteenth,  and  in  an  assault  on  the  enemy  two 
color-bearers  having  been  stricken  down,  he  seized  the 
flag,  and  though  it  was  twice  shot  out  of  his  hands,  he 
carried  it  to  the  front.  No  less  than  seventeen  balls 
pierced  his  hat  and  clothing,  but  as  though  he  bore  a 
charmed  life,  he  came  out  with  only  a  few  scratches; 
for  his  gallant  leadership  he  received  promotion.  At  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg  he  had  an  important  part,  and, 
indeed,  throughout  the  War  was  so  true  and  brave  that 
his  fellow-soldiers  loved  to  call  him  ''the  fighting  parson." 
A  thrilling  story  of  the  War  is  now  introduced,  al- 
though it  concerns  only  indirectly  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  His  first  cousin,  who  figures  in  this  story,  while 
not  an  ordained  minister,  was  a  "licentiate,"  so  there  is 
the  more  reason  that  the  story  be  told.  Albert  G.  Willis, 
commonly  known  among  his  friends  as  "Bertie,"  was  re- 
turning on  leave  of  absence  to  his  home.  He  stopped  at 
the  blacksmith's  at  Flint  Hill,  Rappahannock  County,  to 
have  his  horse  shod.  The  ringing  of  the  anvil  prevented 
his  hearing  the  approach  of  a  party  of  Union  soldiers. 
They  had  orders  to  hang  the  first  of  Mosby's  men  that 
they  caught  and  young  Willis  was  the  first.  The  officer 
in  command  was  so  impressed  with  his  prisoner's  cool- 
ness and  nerve  that  he  offered  to  release  him  if  he  would 
deny  that  he  was  one  of  Mosby's  men.  He  made  this 
proposal  several  times,  but  it  was  refused.     When  the 


136         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

time  drew  near  for  him  to  die  he  asked  that  he  be  allowed 
to  pray,  and  when  his  request  was  granted  he  made  a 
most  earnest  petition  to  God  for  his  "murderers."  The 
rope  was  thrown  over  the  stump  of  the  limb  of  a  poplar 
tree.  Another  version  of  the  story  is  that  two  Confeder- 
ates were  captured  and  that  one  of  them  was  to  be  hung; 
the  Union  men  said  that  they  might  draw  straws  to  de- 
cide which  one  should  die.  The  other  man  was  not  a 
Christian,  so  Willis  refused  to  draw  straws,  saying  that 
he  was  not  afraid  to  die,  for  his  peace  was  made  with 
God  through  Jesus  Christ.  In  June,  1865,  when  the 
General  Association  was  in  session  at  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  Richmond,  a  reporter  published  in  one  of  the 
Richmond  daily  papers  an  account  of  the  hanging  of 
Rev.  E.  J.  Willis.  About  the  time  the  sad  news  had 
been  read  and  digested  by  the  brethren,  in  walked  E.  J. 
Willis;  he  had  been  confused  by  the  reporter  with 
"Bertie." 

At  the  close  of  the  War  Mr.  Willis  settled  with  his 
family  at  Rapidan.  becoming  pastor  of  the  Gordonsville, 
Orange,  and  North  Pamunkey  churches.  From  this  field 
he  went  to  the  pastorate  at  Alexandria.  From  Alex- 
andria he  went  to  Frederick  County  as  a  missionary  of 
the  State  Mission  Board,  being  pastor  of  the  Winchester 
Church,  and  later  of  the  Hebron  Church  also.  While 
he  was  in  Winchester  he  founded  the  Broaddus  Female 
College,  which  was  later  removed  to  Clarksburg,  West 
Virginia.  It  is  said  that  the  founding  of  this  institu- 
tion was  a  great  blessing  to  West  Virginia.  His  next 
work  was  at  Shelby,  N.  C,  where  he  was  president  of 
the  Shelby  Female  College.  He  left  Shelby  to  accept 
the  charge  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Cambridge,  Mary- 
land, where  he  remained  till  his  failing  health  compelled 
him  to  give  up  active  work.  He  died  in  Essex  County, 
Virginia,  at  the  age  of  72,  and  was  buried  in  Lael  Bap- 
tist Churchyard,  Lignum,  Culpeper  County. 


JAMES  HENRY  WRIGHT 

James  H.  Wright  was  born  in  Portsmouth,  Virginia, 
December  7,  1856,  being  descended  from  Presbyterian 
ancestors.  He  served  his  apprenticeship  as  a  printer  in 
Richmond,  Virginia,  and  in  1872  was  converted  in  Pine 
Street  Baptist  Church  of  that  city.  In  deference  to  the 
wishes  of  his  parents  he  joined  their  church,  declaring, 
however,  that  he  was  going  to  the  Baptist  Church  as 
soon  as  he  was  of  age.  In  a  few  years  he  obtained  their 
consent  and  was  baptized  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Hutson  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  Pine  Street  Baptist  Church ;  in  a  short 
while  he  welcomed  his  brother,  sister,  mother  and  step- 
father into  his  church.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  and, 
having  attended  Richmond  College,  was  ordained  Oc- 
tober 12,  1879.  He  was  pastor  first  of  New  Bethesda 
Church,  Hanover  County;  then  of  Mountain  Plain  and 
Hardware  and  Sharon  churches,  Albemarle  County,  and 
Mount  Shiloh,  in  Nelson  County.  While  at  the  Louis- 
ville Seminary  he  became  assistant  pastor  for  Dr.  T.  T. 
Eaton  at  the  Walnut  Street  Baptist  Church.  He  served 
the  church  at  Union  Springs,  Ala.,  for  a  year,  and  re- 
turned to  the  Walnut  Street  Church,  where  he  remained 
for  eight  months.  He  was  at  Rockville,  Md.,  for  nearly 
two  years  and  went  from  there  to  the  West  End  Baptist 
Church  of  Petersburg,  Virginia,  where  he  labored  zeal- 
ously and  successfully  until  incapacitated  by  illness.  He 
went  to  Florida  in  an  endeavor  to  regain  his  strength, 
but  gradually  grew  weaker  and  returned  to  Petersburg, 
where  he  was  cared  for  all  the  rest  of  his  days  by  Mr. 
and  ]\Irs.  J.  W.  Whitehorn.  When  they  found  that 
Brother  Wright  was  without  means,  without  hope  of  re- 

137 


138         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

covery,  they  gladly  took  him  into  their  home,  for  ten 
weeks  ministered  to  him  day  and  night,  wept  over  his 
death  as  parents  for  a  son,  and  carried  his  body  to  its  last 
resting-place  in  Albemarle. 

Brother  Wright  was  frail  of  body,  but  courageous  in 
spirit.  Dr.  J.  B.  Hutson  said  of  him :  "He  was  a  man 
of  unspotted  character,  of  clear  and  strong  convictions, 
and  ready  if  need  be  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the  truth 
as  he  understood  it.  He  was  an  uncommonly  good 
singer,  and  delighted  to  lead  the  congregation  in  lofty 
praise  to  God."  He  was  a  preacher  of  power,  with  evan- 
gelistic gifts,  and  many  were  brought  into  the  kingdom 
under  his  earnest  appeals. 

On  October  9,  1884,  he  had  married  Miss  Mollie  S. 
Rittenhouse,  and  of  this  union  one  son  survives.  Con- 
sumption caused  his  death  Sunday,  January  10,  1892. 
The  funeral  took  place  at  West  End  Church,  Petersburg, 
and  the  burial  at  the  home  of  Rev.  D.  C.  Rittenhouse, 
Albemarle  County. 

L.  Peyton  Little. 


BASIL  MANLY,  JR. 

Some  family  names  have  been  household  words  among 
Southern  Baptists  for  nearly  a  century.  Manly  is  one 
of  these  names.  Dr.  Basil  Manly,  Sr.,  was  a  scholarly 
preacher  and  distinguished  educator,  regarded,  by  one 
well  able  to  judge,  as  in  many  respects  the  equal  of  the 
famous  Dr.  Francis  Wayland.  While  Dr.  Basil  Manly, 
Sr.,  was  pastor  in  Edgefield  District,  South  Carolina, 
on  December  19,  1825,  his  son,  Basil,  was  born.  While 
his  father  was  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
in  Charleston,  young  Manly  attended  a  preparatory 
school  in  that  city  and  later  became  a  student  in  the 
University  of  Alabama,  at  Tuscaloosa,  of  which  insti- 
tution his  father  was  president.  A  classmate  thus 
speaks  of  him  as  a  student :  "I  entered  the  freshman 
class  at  the  University  of  Alabama  in  December,  1839. 
Basil  Manly  was  a  member  of  it  and  here  began  a  friend- 
ship that  extended  through  life.  At  our  first  meeting 
he  impressed  me  as  being  quite  delicate.  He  bore 
strongly  the  marks  of  the  student,  and  in  this  his  appear- 
ance did  not  deceive  me.  His  father  had  spared  no 
pains  in  his  training,  and  by  close  application  he 
maintained  his  place  at  the  head  of  a  class  that  was  at 
least  respectable  in  point  of  ability.  For  four  years  he 
was  constantly  in  my  sight  and  no  one  had  better  oppor- 
tunities than  I  for  studying  his  proportions.  His  char- 
acter came  out  by  slow  degrees,  for  he  had  no  irregu- 
larities. Immersed  in  study,  he  was  punctilious  in  the 
discharge  of  every  duty,  and,  if  tempted,  was  never  led 
to  swerve.  Others  were  prone  to  indulge  in  mischief; 
he  did   not  seem   to   know   the   meaning  of   the   word. 

139 


140         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Others  caught  promotion  by  a  shorter  way ;  he  knew  no 
way  except  to  work  for  it.  Others  dared  to  do  wrong 
in  the  assertion  of  a  false  manhood;  he  was  content  to 
plod  along  in  the  old  prosy  path  of  right.  The  son  of 
the  president,  it  might  be  supposed  that  he  would  become 
an  object  of  distrust  and  jealousy,  but  no  one  was  found 
so  unjust  as  to  visit  upon  him  that  he  bore  the  name  of 
his  revered  father,  or  to  connect  him  unfavorably  with 
the  head  of  the  institution.  In  times  of  rebelhon  (and 
in  those  old  fire-eating  days  insubordination  was  often 
rife),  suspicion  challenged  every  possible  informer,  and 
w^oe  be  to  the  'suspect'  that  fell  under  its  ban.  Basil  was 
so  unobtrusive,  so  guileless,  so  little  given  to  partisan- 
ship, that  he  was  free  to  come  and  go  at  will  without  the 
shadow  of  a  smirch  upon  his  immaculate  skirts.  I  should 
do  Basil's  memory  deep  injustice,  however,  if  I  should 
produce  the  impression  that  he  was  reserved  or  sour. 
No  one  had  a  keener  appreciation  of  genuine  humor 
than  he,  or  knew  how  to  make  himself  more  companion- 
able. For  myself,  I  learned  to  love  and  respect  him  as  a 
brother."  Gentleness,  which  became  one  of  his  distin- 
guishing characteristics,  as  is  seen  from  this  quotation, 
was  conspicuous  in  him  at  this  early  period.  Perhaps 
we  are  in  danger  of  thinking  that  people  who  are  gentle 
never  have  any  struggle  for  this  blessed  boon.  It  is  re- 
corded, however,  of  Basil  Manly,  Jr.,  that  in  his  earlier 
life  he  had  to  struggle  with  a  violent  temper.  He  broke 
several  umbrellas  over  the  head  of  his  horse  that  was 
hard  to  control,  but  finally  realized  that  unless  he  curbed 
his  own  temper  it  would  bring  him  to  ruin. 

Upon  his  graduation  at  the  University  of  Alabama, 
having  decided  to  give  himself  to  the  gospel  ministry, 
the  question  arose  as  to  where  he  should  pursue  his  theo- 
logical studies.  In  this  matter  he  had  the  advice  not  only 
of  his  father,  but  also  of  Rev.  Dr.  John  L.  Dagg,  who 


BASIL  MANLY,  JR.  141 

was  professor  of  theology  in  Mercer  University  and 
whose  "Manual  of  Theology"  is  remarkable  for  its  clear 
statements  of  religious  doctrines.  Manly,  who  was  in- 
clined to  choose  Mercer,  that  he  might  sit  at  the  feet  of 
him  who  had  already  been  a  great  help  to  him  in  his 
religious  life,  thus  described  years  afterwards  this  stage 
in  his  life :  "But  he  [Dr.  Dagg]  advised  with  characteris- 
tic earnestness  and  fidelity  that  I  should  not  content  my- 
self with  that,  but  should  seek  at  once  the  best  advantages 
and  the  fullest  course  that  could  be  procured.  These,  it 
was  agreed,  could  be  found  then  at  Newton  Theological 
Institution,  near  Boston,  Mass.  When  the  disruption  of 
1845  occurred  between  Northern  and  Southern  Baptists 
in  their  voluntary  missionary  organizations,  ...  it 
led  to  the  withdraw^al  from  Newton  of  the  four  South- 
ern students  who  were  there — S.  C.  Clopton,  E.  T. 
Winkler,  J.  W.  M.  Williams,  and  myself.  The  other 
three  went  directly  into  ministerial  work,  while  I  deter- 
mined, as  I  was  younger,  to  prosecute  further  prepara- 
tory study,  and  went,  under  the  advice  of  my  father,  of 
Dr.  Dagg,  of  Dr.  Francis  Wayland,  and  other  friends, 
to  Princeton  Theological  Seminary." 

Upon  leaving  Princeton,  having  been  ordained  at  Tus- 
caloosa, Ala.,  he  became  pastor  of  several  country 
churches.  His  poor  health,  however,  led  him,  after  a 
short  while,  to  resign  this  charge  and  for  a  year  to  take 
up  the  saw-mill  business,  hoping  that  such  a  life  in  the 
open  air  might  restore  his  strength.  In  1849  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Convention  met  in  Nashville,  Tenn.  An 
alarm  as  to  cholera  kept  many  away,  but  among  those 
who  did  attend,  not  a  few  were  deeply  interested  in  the 
proposition  then  being  discussed,  to  establish  a  theologi- 
cal seminary  for  Southern  Baptists.  Mr.  Manly  was  one 
of  this  number.  At  this  meeting  he  met  for  the  first 
time  R.  B.  C.  Howell  and  J.  R.  Graves.     These  brethren 


142         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

thought  the  time  had  come  for  the  estabHshment  of  such 
an  institution,  but  he  did  not.  Graves  challenged  him 
to  debate  the  question  before  the  Convention.  He  tells 
why  he  declined  this  invitation :  'T  did  not  want  to  be 
put  into  the  false  position  of  antagonizing  the  progres- 
sive movement  for  theological  education,  which  I  ear- 
nestly favored;  and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  say  I  dreaded 
to  cope  with  so  vigorous  and  able  an  opponent  as  Brother 
Graves  in  an  extempore  debate."  The  Convention  at 
Nashville  adjourned  to  meet  a  few  weeks  later,  on  May 
23,  at  Charleston.  At  this  time  and  place,  when  a  spe- 
cial educational  meeting  was  held,  he  spoke  on  the  mat- 
ter of  the  proposed  seminary.  In  his  address  he  stated 
that  there  were  seven  theological  professors  in  as  many 
Southern  Baptist  institutions,  having  in  all  about  thirty 
theological  students.  He  advanced  many  reasons  for 
the  proposed  seminary  and  suggested  three  possible  ways 
for  bringing  it  into  being.  While  from  year  to  year  the 
question  of  establishing  a  seminary  was  discussed  among 
the  brethren,  no  definite  action  seems  to  have  been  taken 
until  1854,  when  in  the  Virginia  Baptist  General  Asso- 
ciation a  call  was  made  for  a  special  meeting  to  consider 
the  proposition.  This  meeting,  which  was  held  in  Mont- 
gomery, with  Mr.  Manly  as  its  secretary,  called  another 
meeting  for  the  following  year.  Of  this  gathering, 
which  was  held  in  Augusta,  Ga.,  1856,  Dr.  Basil  Manly, 
Sr.,  was  president.  This  led  to  another  special  meet- 
ing in  Louisville  in  May,  1857.  Here  it  was  finally 
agreed  that  the  desired  theological  seminary  be  estab- 
lished at  Greenville,  S.  C,  provided  that  certain  condi- 
tions could  be  met.  In  announcing  the  committee  on 
Plan  of  Organization,  the  president,  Dr.  B.  Manly,  Sr., 
said  apologetically  that  he  had  appointed  comparatively 
young  men  "because  it  was  proposed  to  form  a  new  in- 
stitution suited  to  the  wants  of  our  own  ministry,  and 


BASIL  MANLY,  JR.  143 

young  men  were  more  likely  to  be  successful  in  devis- 
ing new  plans."  Here  was  the  committee:  J.  P.  Boyce, 
J.  A.  Broadus,  B.  Manly,  Jr.,  E.  T.  Winkler,  and  Wil- 
liam Williams.  The  last  of  this  series  of  special  educa- 
tional conventions  was  held  at  Greenville,  S.  C,  May  1, 
1858,  and  upon  the  report  of  a  committee  of  leading  men 
the  following  men  were  elected  as  professors  for  the  new 
seminary:  J.  P.  Boyce,  J.  A.  Broadus,  B.  Manly,  Jr., 
and  E.  T.  Winkler.  Of  these  four,  at  first  only  two, 
Boyce  and  Manly,  accepted  the  positions  to  which  they 
had  been  elected. 

In  order  to  bring  into  one  paragraph  the  story  of 
]\Ianly's  connection  with  the  establishment  of  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  other  events  in  his 
life  have  been  passed  over.  In  November,  1850,  he  be- 
came pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Richmond, 
Virginia.  At  this  time  "his  form  and  voice  and  manner 
were  rather  suggestive  of  womanly  gentleness  and  grace 
than  of  robust  and  vigorous  manhood.  .  .  .  He  always 
bore  himself  in  the  pulpit  and  out  of  it  with  becoming 
dignity  and  was  able  by  quiet  but  effective  means  to  in- 
fluence, guide  and  control  others.  His  gentle,  soft  and 
engaging  manners,  growing  out  of  his  sincere  and  affec- 
tionate heart,  full  of  true  Christian  love  and  sympathy, 
made  his  pastoral  visits  most  welcome  and  salutary  to 
his  flock."  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Ryland,  after  Dr.  Manly's 
death,  wrote  as  follows  concerning  this  Richmond  pas- 
torate :  'Tt  soon  became  evident  that  his  bodily  strength 
was  not  equal  to  the  mental  and  physical  energy  re- 
quired by  the  position.  The  large  and  scattered  con- 
gregation worshiped  in  a  spacious  house.  Three  sermons 
a  week  and  numerous  visits  were  too  much  for  a  youth 
of  delicate  frame  and  no  experience.  Still  he  made  a 
most  favorable  impression  on  his  people.  His  thorough 
course  of  preparation  and  study,  his  diligent  habits,  his 


144         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

prudent  and  refined  manners,  his  genial  and  loving  spirit 
and  his  sincere  piety  soon  gained  the  hearts  of  all.  Noth- 
ing but  a  holy  enthusiasm  could  have  sustained  him  for 
the  short  space  of  four  years."  As  Richmond  was  prac- 
tically his  only  pastorate,  just  here  a  few  things  should 
be  said  about  him  as  a  preacher.  Dr.  Jno.  A.  Broadus 
said,  that  while  his  voice  was  not  strong,  he  had  the 
other  elements  of  a  great  preacher.  Once  after  he  had 
preached  in  Greenville,  Dr.  Boyce  remarked  to  Dr. 
Broadus  as  they  left  the  church:  "If  Richard  Fuller 
had  preached  that  sermon  people  would  have  called  it 
one  of  the  greatest  sermons  they  ever  heard,  and  they 
would  have  been  right." 

Dr.  Manly  resigned  the  care  of  the  First  Church  to 
become  the  first  president  of  the  Richmond  Female  In- 
stitute. The  Baptists  of  Richmond  were  fortunate  to 
secure  for  this  new  enterprise  one  so  able.  Dr.  Ryland 
says :  "He  gave  a  start  to  the  school  which  has  doubt- 
less contributed  to  its  distinguished  success.  One  of  the 
girls  made  a  pun  on  the  subject  which  voiced  the  feel- 
ings of  all  her  associates  and  the  general  public.  She 
'liked  the  Institute  because  it  had  a  gentle/«a;z/y  presi- 
dent.' During  his  connection  with  the  institution  he 
gave  his  Lord's  Days  to  the  Walnut  Grove  Church — a 
small  and  select  body  that  lived  in  the  Sydnor  neigh- 
borhood several  miles  distant." 

As  has  been  seen  already,  Dr.  Manly  was  elected  one 
of  the  four  original  professors  in  the  Seminary  at  Green- 
ville. Undoubtedly  the  greatest  work  of  his  life  was 
done  in  this  sphere.  For  twenty-one  years  he  occupied 
a  chair  in  the  Seminary,  the  larger  part  of  the  time  hav- 
ing Old  Testament  Interpretation  and  Biblical  Introduc- 
tion, and  for  a  season  Biblical  Introduction,  Homiletics, 
and  Polemics.  He  had  drawn  up  the  Plan  of  Organiza- 
tion and  the  Articles  of  Belief  which  each  professor  was 


BASIL  MANLY,  JR.  145 

required  to  sign,  and  he  was  associated  with  Boyce, 
Broadus,  and  Wilhams  as  teacher.  He  was  a  man  of 
scholarly  aptitudes  and  attainments.  He  was  familiar 
with  a  number  of  languages  and  was  possessed  of  a  vast 
fund  of  information  on  a  wide  range  of  subjects.  His 
heart  glowed  with  tenderness  as  he  taught  his  class  the 
Bible,  his  eyes  often  overflowing  with  tears.  In  those 
early  days  in  Greenville  his  work  was  not  measured  by 
the  lecture-room  only.  He  came  in  close  contact  with 
the  students.  Dr.  C.  H.  Ryland,  who  was  a  student  the 
first  session  at  Greenville,  says :  "He  was  our  pastor — 
the  one  who  drew  us  by  his  sympathy,  gentleness  and 
winning  piety  closer  to  duty  and  to  God."  The  students 
held  prayer  meetings  from  house  to  house,  and  he  fre- 
quently attended  and  always  took  part.  From  the  very 
first  it  has  been  the  custom  in  the  seminary  for  each  lec- 
ture to  be  opened  with  prayer,  and  Dr.  W.  H.  Williams, 
a  student  of  those  early  days,  wrote  afterwards  that 
wdiile  he  had  forgotten  many  things  of  his  Seminary  life. 
Dr.  Manly's  prayers  in  the  classroom  were  vividly  re- 
membered. "Not  infrequently,"  he  writes,  "when  the 
'Amen'  was  said  we  had  to  brush  away  the  tears  before 
we  could  see  our  notebooks."  The  students  saw  him  in 
his  home  as  well  as  at  the  desk.  One  says:  "Among 
my  pleasantest  memories  of  him  are  evenings  spent  at 
his  house  in  Greenville,  where  the  table  was  always  en- 
livened by  his  genial,  artistic  nature.  His  brightness  and 
wit  were  always  kindly."  Another  tells  of  seeing  him 
at  the  family  altar,  saying:  "It  was  my  privilege  once 
only  to  meet  with  him  and  his  family  at  their  morning 
devotions,  and  his  earnest  and  fervent  pleadings  for  his 
family  and  the  seminary  students  captivated  me  and 
deeply  impressed  me  with  his  generous,  loving  spirit  and 
the  serious  importance  he  seemed  to  set  upon  family 
worship." 


146         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Scarcely  had  the  Seminary  started  before  war  came 
down  upon  the  land  and  compelling  the  closing  of  its 
doors  in  1862.  Dr.  Manly  preached  to  a  country  church, 
and  it  was  hard  to  get  even  the  necessities  of  life.  Dur- 
ing this  time  a  Sunday  School  Board  was  established  at 
Greenville,  chiefly  through  the  efforts  of  Drs.  Broadus 
and  Manly.  The  publications  were  on  the  poorest  Con- 
federate paper,  but  they  had  a  ready  sale.  Several  cate- 
chisms were  written  by  Dr.  Manly,  and  Kind  Words,  a 
children's  paper,  started  in  1866,  had  for  one  of  its  con- 
tributors Dr.  Manly,  who  wrote  as  "Henry  Hunter"  and 
"Junior."  When  the  War  was  over,  the  question  as  to 
reopening  the  Seminary  came  up.  Dr.  Boyce  offered  to 
go  into  business  to  help  the  situation.  Dr.  Manly  wrote 
at  length  to  Dr.  Broadus  discussing  what  was  to  be  done. 
In  this  letter  he  says  he  can  not  come  to  Siloam  to  help 
Dr.  Broadus  because  he  had  to  go  after  his  wife,  and 
as  he  did  not  have  money  to  go  on  the  cars  he  had  to 
"take  the  dirt  road,  and  that  takes  time."  The  Semi- 
nary went  on,  yet  surely  those  were  hard  years  for  the 
heroic  men  at  its  head. 

In  1871  Dr.  Manly  was  elected  president  of  George- 
town College,  Kentucky.  The  trustees  elected  Dr.  J.  L. 
M.  Curry  as  president,  but  fearing  that  he  would  not 
accept,  and  in  order  to  save  the  trouble  of  another  meet- 
ing, they  elected  Dr.  Manly  in  case  Dr.  Curry  declined. 
Dr.  Manly  at  first  declined,  but  the  Board  asking  for  a 
personal  interview  and  oft'ering  to  pay  his  expenses,  he 
visited  Georgetown  and  finally  accepted  the  position.  It 
would  be  easier  for  him  to  educate  his  children  at 
Georgetown  and  the  salary  there  was  larger.  These 
were  among  the  reasons  that  led  to  his  acceptance,  and 
Dr.  Broadus,  while  hating  greatly  to  lose  him  from  the 
Seminary  faculty,  could  not,  all  things  considered,  but 
approve  his  decision.     When  Dr.  Manly  went  to  George- 


BASIL  MANLY,  JR.  147 

town  it  was  his  hope  and  ambition  to  see  the  college 
greatly  enlarged  and  strengthened ;  but,  by  reason  of  cir- 
cumstances which  he  could  not  control,  these  hopes  were 
not  realized.  Indeed,  shrinkage  of  the  income  of  the 
college  made  it  necessary  to  contract  the  work.  Dr. 
Manly  left,  however,  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  upon 
the  college  and  the  community.  While  at  Georgetown 
he  went  over  to  Midway  twice  each  month  to  preach, 
thus  enabling  F.  H.  Kerfoot,  the  pastor,  to  preach  in  the 
country  and  carry  on  certain  linguistic  studies.  Thus, 
as  co-pastors,  these  two  men  worked  for  over  a  year. 
Dr.  Manly  said :  "Brother  Kerfoot  is  pastor  and  I  am 
his  assistant."  Dr.  Kerfoot  counted  himself  highly  for- 
tunate in  this  arrangement,  since  besides  delightful  asso- 
ciation, it  gave  him  in  his  work  Dr.  Manly's  "conserva- 
tive, far-seeing,  wise  counsels." 

When,  in  1879,  Dr.  C.  H.  Toy,  because  of  change  of 
doctrinal  views,  resigned  his  professorship  in  the  semi- 
nary, which  was  now  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  Dr.  Manly  was 
elected  to  the  vacant  chair.  His  return  to  the  Seminary, 
especially  at  this  juncture,  greatly  pleased  and  reassured 
the  Southern  brotherhood.  Upon  his  return  to  the  Semi- 
nary, Dr.  Manly  took  charge  of  the  "Students'  Fund," 
which  he  had  looked  after  before  going  to  Georgetown. 
This  "Fund"  was  to  help  students  in  the  matter  of  their 
board  and  was  dependent  on  the  voluntary  contributions 
of  brethren.  This  work  and  the  Seminary  Missionary 
Society,  with  its  several  mission  Sunday  schools,  were 
very  near  to  Dr.  Manly's  heart,  and  his  pleas  for  these 
objects  were  usually  successful.  Once,  in  describing  an 
appeal  for  a  mission  school,  he  said :  "I  came  very  near 
getting  $100  the  other  evening.  I  asked  a  man  in  the 
city  here  for  that  much  and  if  he  had  only  said  'Yes'  I 
would  have  had  it."  Dr.  Manly,  besides  looking  most 
carefully  after  the  financial  side  of  this  society,  thus 


148         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

carrying  on  Sunday  schools,  many  of  which  have  grown 
into  churches,  provided  the  program  and  presided  once 
a  month  at  the  meetings. 

The  throb  of  Dr.  Manly's  gentle  and  loving  heart  was 
a  blessing  in  the  Seminary  circle  as  well  as  in  his  own 
home.  Among  the  students  and  faculty  he  was  called 
the  "Beloved  Disciple."  His  kind  words,  warm  sym- 
pathy and  heavenly  smile  were  a  benediction  indeed.  To 
record  all  his  deeds  of  love  and  thought  fulness  would 
take  pages.  One  day  he  saw  a  little  girl  crying  bitterly 
on  the  street.  He  sought  to  comfort  her,  but  she  was 
lost  and  could  not  tell  him  where  she  lived.  He  asked 
her  if  she  knew  some  place  from  which  she  could  find 
her  w^ay  home.  Brightening  up,  she  said  that  she  went 
to  the  Walnut  Street  Baptist  Sunday  school  and  could 
find  her  way  home  from  there.  He  accompanied  the 
child  to  the  Sunday  school  and  thence  saw  her  safe  at 
home. 

Once  at  a  funeral  "in  Georgetown  the  ground  was 
covered  with  snow,  and  Dr.  Manly  was  seen  treading 
down  the  deep  snow,  and  when  some  one  would  come 
he  would  step  aside  from  the  well-trodden  place  and, 
yielding  it  to  another,  would  prepare  another  place  to 
do  likewise  if  another  presented  himself."  Just  two 
weeks  before  his  death  "he  was  wading  through  the 
slush  of  a  melting  snow  to  a  mission  in  the  Highlands. 
He  led  a  little  girl  with  his  left  hand,  in  his  right  he  car- 
ried his  Bible."  Once  at  the  ordination  of  a  young  min- 
ister, upon  request,  Dr.  J.  R.  Graves  and  he  wrote  in 
the  Bible  presented  a  word  of  advice.  Dr.  Manly's  pen 
traced  these  words :  "Speak  the  truth  in  love" ;  Dr. 
Graves  added:  "And  speak  it  boldly  as  you  ought  to 
speak."  A  Louisville  lady  on  one  occasion  told  Dr. 
Manly  that  the  doctrine  of  election  gave  her  much 
trouble.     His  answer  was  that  while   she   was  in  the 


BASIL  MANLY,  JR.  149 

lower  class  she  must  not  grapple  with  such  a  difficult 
question;  when  she  was  promoted  to  heaven's  class  she 
could  understand  such  things.  It  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  say  that  such  a  man  was  lovely  and  gentle  in  his  home. 
He  was  extremely  solicitous  for  the  happiness  and  high- 
est well-being  of  his  children.  He  received  their  earliest 
confidences  and  was  glad  to  help  in  their  games.  Next 
to  their  religious  training  he  set  their  education.  He 
often  remarked :  "I  wish  to  spare  no  pains  nor  expense 
to  give  my  children  a  good  education,  and  that  is  about 
all  I  shall  be  able  to  do  for  them.  They  will  then  be 
able  to  do  for  themselves."  Once  during  a  revival  in 
Greenville,  when  Dr.  Williams  had  preached  a  powerful 
sermon,  Dr.  Manly,  upon  reaching  home,  found  one  of 
his  children  sitting  at  a  table  studying.  He  said:  "I 
am  very  glad  to  see  your  interest  in  your  studies,  but  I 
do  not  wish  you  to  forget  that  there  is  something  far 
more  important.  I  wish  you  had  heard  that  sermon  to- 
night." 

Dr.  Manly  was  a  most  versatile  man.  He  did  many 
things  well.  Besides  his  teaching  and  his  preaching,  his 
deep  scholarship  and  fund  of  general  information,  there 
was  his  executive  and  business  capacity.  He  wrote  well, 
and,  besides  many  fugitive  pieces,  left  a  book,  "The 
Bible  Doctrine  of  Inspiration,"  which  is  "the  calmest, 
fairest,  clearest  and  most  satisfactory  discussion  of  the 
subject  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  same  compass." 
He  wrote  some  forty  hymns,  with  his  father  edited  The 
Baptist  Psalmody,  and  himself  brought  out  two  other 
hymn  books,  "The  Baptist  Choral"  and  "The  Choice." 
Dr.  Manly  had  a  good  voice  and  sang  well.  Dr.  Broadus 
regarded  Dr.  Manly  as  the  most  versatile  man  he 
ever  met  and  said  that  had  he  "devoted  himself 
exclusively  to  some  one  of  several  things  he  might  have 
stood  out  famous  among  the  men  of  the  age." 


150         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

In  the  autumn  of  1887  Dr.  Manly  and  his  family- 
broke  up  their  city  home  and  in  pursuit  of  country  air 
boarded  on  the  edge  of  the  city  with  Mr.  Walker.  On 
December  1 5  Mr.  Walker  and  Dr.  Manly,  in  the  gather- 
ing twilight,  with  their  arms  full  of  bundles,  were  walk- 
ing homeward  from  the  railroad  station.  Suddenly  they 
were  attacked  and  robbed.  Each  received  a  single  blow 
over  the  eye  which  rendered  them  unconscious.  Dr. 
Manly  never  recovered  from  this  blow,  which  probably 
shortened  his  life  many  years.  He  went  on  with  his 
work,  but  under  a  heavy  physical  handicap,  and  finally, 
on  Sunday,  January  31,  1892,  his  earthly  pilgrimage 
came  to  an  end,  Charles  H.  Spurgeon,  the  great  English 
preacher,  being  called  to  his  reward  the  same  day.  At 
the  funeral,  held  at  Walnut  Street  Baptist  Church,  a 
large  number  of  ministers,  not  only  Baptist,  but  of  other 
denominations  as  well,  were  present.  The  sermon  was 
preached  by  the  pastor.  Dr.  T.  T.  Eaton,  and  addresses 
were  made  by  Dr.  W.  H.  Whitsitt;  Dr.  E.  L.  Powell, 
Pastor  of  the  Fourth  and  Walnut  Christian  Church; 
Dr.  R.  H.  Rivers,  of  the  Methodist  Church ;  Dr.  C.  R. 
Hemphill,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Dr.  Jno.  A. 
Broadus. 


WILLIAM  ABEL  WOODSON 

While  William  Abel  Woodson  was  born,  converted 
and  educated  in  Albemarle  County,  Virginia,  the  larger 
part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  Nottoway  County,  where 
he  died.  He  was  born  August  10,  1817.  Early  in  hfe 
he  made  a  profession  of  religion  and  united  with  the 
Zion  Baptist  Church,  near  the  University  of  Virginia. 
He  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  while 
here  enjoyed  the  faithful  ministry  of  Rev.  James  Fife. 
He  entered  the  University  of  Virginia  in  the  fall  of 
1847  and  remained  there  two  sessions.  He  roomed  at 
John  Abell's  and  took  ancient  languages,  mathematics 
and  moral  philosophy.  During  these  years  the  Rev. 
Jacob  Scott,  a  Baptist  minister,  was  chaplain  of  the  Uni- 
versity. Soon  after  leaving  school  he  entered  the  minis- 
try, and  among  the  churches  he  served  were  Jonesboro, 
(Brunswick),  Mount  Lebanon,  (Nottoway),  both  in  the 
Concord  Association.  His  first  wife,  who  died  in  1872, 
was  Miss  Sallie  Williams.  After  her  death  he  married 
her  sister  Bettie,  who  died  in  1886.  His  wisdom  and 
good  management  enabled  him  to  have  a  good  farm  and 
home,  and  here  he  hospitably  entertained  many.  He 
had  a  good  name  among  his  people.  He  was  a  good  man 
and  was  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  died  January  9th, 
1892.  He  willed  his  home  to  his  brother,  Rev.  T.  E. 
Woodson. 


151 


CYRUS  FRANKLIN  FRY 

Cyrus  Franklin  Fry  was  born  at  New  Hope,  Virginia, 
March  7,  1824,  and  died  February  27,  1892.  He  was  a 
man  small  of  stature,  but  large  of  heart  and  of  indomit- 
able energy.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  Baptists  in  the 
beautiful  Valley  of  Virginia.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  Laurel  Hill  Church  and  ordained  in  the  Staunton 
Church.  For  several  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  South 
Bottom  Baptist  Church,  but  his  enduring  monument  is 
in  the  work  which  he  did  as  a  colporteur.  During  the 
War  he  kept  a  depository  of  books  at  Scottsville  and  was 
colporteur  in  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  After 
the  War  his  field  of  labor  embraced  Augusta,  Rock- 
bridge, Rockingham,  and  Bath.  He  traveled  thousands 
of  miles  over  these  counties  distributing  religious  litera- 
ture and  organizing  Sunday  schools.  His  home  was  the 
haven  of  rest  for  every  Baptist  preacher  who  chanced  to 
come  into  his  neighborhood  long  before  the  now  flour- 
ishing Staunton,  Laurel  Hill,  and  Waynesboro  churches 
were  organized. 

In  August,  1862,  Dr.  A.  E.  Dickinson  wrote  from 
Lynchburg,  Virginia :  "In  Staunton  I  found  Brother 
Fry,  our  colporteur,  earnestly  engaged.  His  labors  have 
indeed  been  greatly  blessed.  He  gave  me  an  interesting 
account  of  some  conversation  he  had  with  General  T.  J. 
Jackson.  The  General  told  him  of  several  prominent 
officers  who  were  sick  and  urged  him  to  go  and  converse 
with  them  on  personal  religion,  just  as  he  would  with 
the  humblest  private,  adding  that  it  was  sad  to  see  so 
many  officers  regardless  of  their  eternal  interests." 

Dr.  Jno.  Wm.  Jones,  commenting  upon  this  interview 
with  Stonewall  Jackson,  says :     "It  was  my  privilege  to 

152 


CYRUS  FRANKLIN  FRY  153 

be  present  at  that  interview  and  to  introduce  the  humble 
colporteur  to  the  great  soldier.  Jackson  said  with  a  gra- 
cious smile  as  he  cordially  took  the  hand  of  Brother  Fry: 
'You  are  more  than  welcome  to  my  camps,  and  it  will 
afford  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  do  anything  in  my 
power  to  help  you  in  your  work.  I  am  more  anxious 
than  I  can  express  that  our  soldiers  shall  be  good  soldiers 
of  the  Cross  as  well  as  good  soldiers  of  their  country.' 
The  nearly  one  hundred  colporteurs  of  the  Virginia  Bap- 
tist Sunday  School  and  Bible  Board,  who  (under  Dr.  A. 
E.  Dickinson)  labored  in  the  Confederate  armies,  were 
among  the  most  efficient  instrumentalities  in  the  wonder- 
ful revivals  with  which  we  were  blessed.  And  among 
the  truest,  noblest,  most  indefatigable,  self-sacrificing, 
consecrated,  and  efficient  of  them  all  was  C.  F.  Fry." 
Brother  Fry  had  a  passport  which  "Stonewall"  Jackson 
had  written  himself.  This  passport  he  kept  and  treas- 
ured all  of  his  life.  After  the  War  was  over  he  contin- 
ued to  labor  in  the  counties  named  above  as  a  colporteur. 

Brother  Fry  was  a  man  of  deep  piety  and  earnest  re- 
ligious convictions,  and  many  of  the  churches  in  the  Au- 
gusta Association  owe  much  to  the  foundation  work 
which  he  did  in  their  respective  communities.  The  Au- 
gusta County  Sunday  School  Union,  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  State,  owes  much  to  Brother  Fry,  for  he  was 
largely  instrumental  in  its  organization  and  its  mainte- 
nance up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  For  many  years  he 
drove  a  horse  familiarly  known  as  "Old  Charlie."  "Old 
Charlie"  was  not  noted  for  speed,  but  for  plodding  he 
had  few  equals. 

C.  F.  Fry  died  February  27,  1892,  being  sixty-eight 
years  old.  His  funeral  was  preached  in  the  Waynesboro 
Baptist  Church  by  his  life-long  friend,  Rev.  John  H. 
Taylor,  and  his  remains  laid  to  rest  in  the  Waynesboro 
Cemetery. 

L.  Peyton  Little. 


JAMES  DANIEL  MARTIN 

James  Daniel  Martin  was  born  in  Pittsylvania  County, 
Virginia,  August  9,  1864.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
entered  Richmond  College  to  prepare  for  the  gospel  min- 
istry. His  school  advantages  had  been  meager  and  the 
amount  of  ministerial  work  he  undertook  increased  the 
difficulties  of  his  college  course.  But  he  was  an  earnest 
student,  and,  in  spite  of  time  lost  for  lack  of  means,  won 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  June,  1888.  His  stu- 
dent life  was  marked  by  fervent  piety  and  unusual  re- 
ligious activity.  He  was  a  recognized  leader  in  religious 
work,  and  several  of  the  most  successful  revivals  ever 
held  at  college  were  under  his  leadership.  On  June  24, 
1888,  at  Branch's  Church,  Chesterfield  County,  he  was 
ordained.  This  church  and  Enon,  in  the  same  county, 
formed  the  only  regular  pastorate  he  ever  had.  Before 
his  ordination  he  had  preached  for  these  churches  regu- 
larly and  he  continued  as  their  pastor  for  two  years. 
During  these  years  he  taught  in  the  Chester  Female  In- 
stitute, first  as  assistant  and  then  as  principal.  On  Au- 
gust 27,  1890,  near  Atlee's  Station,  Hanover  County, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Isbelle,  going  the  next 
month  to  Bedford  City  to  become  the  principal  of  the 
High  School.  Here  he  taught  one  session.  In  the  spring 
of  1891  he  suffered  a  severe  attack  of  grippe,  which  set- 
tled on  his  lungs  and  rendered  the  rest  of  his  life  a 
struggle  with  an  incurable  disease.  Yet  it  was  a  heroic 
struggle.  During  the  time  he  had  taught  he  had  never 
ceased  to  preach,  and  he  was  looking  forward  to  the  time 
when  he  could  give  all  his  energies  to  the  higher  calling. 
But   his   work   was   almost    done.      In   June,    1891,    he 

154 


JAMES  DANIEL  MARTIN  155 

preached  his  last  sermon  at  Sharon  Church,  King  Wil- 
liam County.  He  spoke  no  more  from  the  pulpit,  but 
by  his  patience,  love,  and  trust  during  the  weary  months 
of  a  lingering  illness  he  preached  a  most  eloquent  ser- 
mon. His  faithful  wife,  who  never  left  his  bedside,  says 
that  during  his  entire  sickness  not  one  word  of  murmur- 
ing was  ever  heard  to  escape  his  lips.  His  end  was  peace. 
Attended  to  the  grave  by  his  best  loved  pastor  and  college 
professor,  his  most  intimate  fellow-student  and  many 
sorrowing  relatives  and  friends,  his  body,  on  a  beautiful 
Lord's  Day  evening  in  April,  was  laid  to  rest  under  the 
blossoming  fruit  trees  at  the  old  homestead  where  he  had 
wooed  and  won  his  bride.  His  short  life  on  earth  was 
as  beautiful  in  its  piety  as  the  blossoms  of  spring.  He 
died  April  15,  1892. 


JOHN  W.  HARRIS 

John  W.  Harris  was  born  in  Albemarle  County,  Vir- 
ginia, July  27,  1868.  He  studied  at  the  Miller  School 
(Albemarle  County),  Richmond  College,  and  Crozer 
Theological  Seminary.  He  was  ordained  to  the  gospel 
ministry  March  30,  1891,  at  Craigsville,  Augusta  County. 
The  following  year,  on  April  13,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elvie  W.  Percival,  "a  devoted  and  useful  member  of 
Grace  Street  Baptist  Church,  Richmond,  Virginia."  His 
work  as  a  preacher  was  first  in  the  Augusta  and  then  in 
the  Portsmouth  Association.  With  his  home  at  the  pic- 
turesque village  of  Bridgewater  in  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia as  a  missionary  of  the  State  Mission  Board,  he  la- 
bored for  some  four  years  ministering  to  the  Bridge- 
water,  Mount  Crawford,  Deerfield,  and  Woodlawn 
churches.  During  one  year  of  this  pastorate  he  preached 
130  sermons  and  paid  420  visits,  and  another  year  the 
record  was  113  sermons,  400  visits  and  one  Sunday 
school  organized.  From  the  Valley  he  went  to  the  other 
end  of  the  State  to  take  charge  of  the  Deep  Creek  and 
Lake  Drummond  churches,  in  Norfolk  County.  Here, 
after  a  pastorate  of  several  years,  he  was  laid  low,  at  his 
home  at  Deep  Creek,  by  typhoid  fever,  his  wife  being  ill 
of  the  same  disease  at  the  same  time.  He  died  Satur- 
day, June  12,  1892,  and  was  buried  the  following  Tues- 
day at  Riverview  Cemetery,  Richmond.  Rev.  J.  W. 
Mitchell  accompanied  the  remains  to  Richmond,  and  the 
Baptist  Ministers'  Conference  of  Norfolk  (to  which 
body  he  belonged)  passed  resolutions  expressing  their 
appreciation  of  his  "consecrated  Christian  life  and  great 
usefulness  as  a  gospel  minister." 

156 


LESLIE  T.  HARDY 

Leslie  T.  Hardy  first  saw  the  light  at  Buchanan,  Bote- 
tourt County,  Virginia,  July  10,  1834.  He  was  reared 
to  the  occupation  of  merchandizing,  and  for  many  years 
devoted  himself  to  that  business.  He  was  very  success- 
ful in  this  direction,  accumulating  at  one  time  quite  a  for- 
tune. His  services  in  the  Confederate  Army,  which 
were  quite  conspicuous,  were  rewarded  with  the  rank  of 
captain  of  artillery,  and  many  flattering  notices  from  his 
superiors.  He  was  severely  wounded  during  the  War, 
from  which  wound  he  occasionally  suffered  in  after  life. 
He  began  to  preach  in  1868,  and  was  ordained  in  1872. 
He  soon  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  he  labored  a  few 
years  and  then  returned  to  his  native  State  and  to  his 
native  county.  Here  he  resided,  laboring  chiefly  in 
Montgomery,  and  holding  pastorates  in  that  county  and 
in  Pulaski.  About  1888  he  moved  to  Glade  Spring  and 
labored  there  as  pastor  of  one  or  more  churches  until 
his  health  failed.  At  this  time  he  served  Mountain  View 
and  Riverside  churches;  possibly  others.  He  died  July 
23,  1892,  and  the  same  w^eek  saw  also  the  death  of  his 
son,  who  was  a  minister  and  of  whom  this  volume  con- 
tains a  sketch. 


157 


ALLEN  FORREST  HARDY 

Allen  Forrest  Hardy,  son  of  Rev.  Leslie  T.  Hardy, 
was  born  in  Buchanan,  Botetourt  County,  April  1867. 
He  was  a  frail  child,  and  as  he  grew  to  manhood  his 
weakness  was  not  overcome.  In  1883,  while  still  a  lad, 
in  the  yard  of  the  Mill  Creek  Church,  during  the  session 
of  the  Valley  Association,  Dr.  W.  E.  Hatcher  passed  by, 
laid  his  hand  on  his  head  and  said :  "Do  you  ever  think 
you  ought  to  preach?"  This  remark  seems  to  have  set- 
tled the  aim  of  his  life.  He  attended,  for  a  session,  Alle- 
ghany Institute ;  was  ordained  by  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Roanoke  City  and  entered  Richmond  College. 
His  frail  health  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  leave  before 
the  session  was  over.  For  twelve  months  he  labored  as 
a  colporteur  in  Manchester,  during  this  time  organizing 
the  Sunday  school  out  of  which  the  Stockton  Street 
Church  grew.  In  October,  1890,  he  became  pastor  in 
the  lower  part  of  Henrico  County,  of  Antioch,  New 
Bridge,  and  Four  Mile  Creek.  The  next  month  he  was 
ordained  at  Antioch  Church,  the  presbytery  being  com- 
posed of  Rev.  J.  T.  Tucker  and  Rev.  R.  H.  Winfree. 
Things  seem  to  have  been  at  a  low  ebb  in  these  churches 
when  he  took  charge,  but  his  energy  and  leadership  soon 
brought  about  a  great  change.  The  Four  Mile  Church 
rose  up  and  erected  a  new  house  of  worship;  this  gave 
the  pastor  joy,  but  his  fondest  dream  was  realized  when 
the  New  Bridge  Church  was  revived  and  its  removal  to 
Highland  Springs  (now  Barton  Heights)  effected.  This 
seemed  an  impossible  feat,  but  it  was  not  impossible.  Be- 
fore the  new  house  at  this  place  was  dedicated  he  had 
been  called  to  his  eternal  reward.  On  July  17,  1892,  at 
Lithia,  he  passed  away.  The  funeral  took  place  at  the 
Buchanan  Church,  being  conducted  by  Rev.  G.  W.  Beale 
and  Rev.  P.  B.  Price,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  His 
body  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Pattonsburg  Cemetery. 

158 


HILARY  E.  HATCHER 

On  November  8,  1832,  in  Bedford  County,  Hilary  E. 
Hatcher  was  born.  He  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship 
of  Mount  Hermon  Church,  Bedford  County,  by  Rev. 
James  L.  Gwaltney.  He  entered  Richmond  College  as 
a  ministerial  student  and  graduated  there  in  1859  in  the 
class  with  Wm.  H.  Agnew,  D.  Wm.  Gwin,  John  J.  Har- 
vey, James  A.  Mundy,  and  George  B.  Smith.  From 
Richmond  College  he  went  to  Greenville,  S.  C,  where 
for  two  sessions  he  was  a  student  at  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary.  He  belonged  to  the  band  of 
twenty-six  men  who  were  students  at  the  Seminary  the 
first  year  of  its  existence.  Ten  of  these  men  were  from 
Virginia,  namely,  J.  Wm.  Jones,  C.  H.  Toy,  C.  H.  Ry- 
land,  R.  B.  Boatwright,  W.  J.  Shipman,  J.  D.  Witt,  T.  B. 
Shepherd,  H.  E.  Hatcher,  W.  C.  Caspari,  Jno.  W.  Har- 
row. Of  these,  Hilary  E.  Hatcher  was  regarded  by  his 
fellow-students  as  "our  Greek"  because  of  his  accurate 
scholarship.  He  graduated  in  the  principal  "schools"  of 
the  Seminary  and  then  went  forth  to  the  War,  becoming 
chaplain  in  the  Confederate  Army,  serving  in  the  Sixty- 
first  Virginia  Infantry.  His  first  pastorate  was  at 
Orange  Court-House,  where  he  located  in  1865.  On  Oc- 
tober 2,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Gillie  F.  Jones, 
daughter  of  Dr.  James  L.  Jones,  of  Orange,  Virginia. 
During  the  course  of  his  ministry  he  served  Elon,  Mount 
Hermon,  Wilderness,  Orange  Court-House,  Zion,  New 
Hope,  Antioch,  and  Zoah  churches,  in  the  Goshen  Asso- 
ciation, and  Blue  Run,  in  the  Shiloh,  the  counties  of 
Spottsylvania  and  Orange  being  the  sphere  of  his  labors. 
For  some  years  he  was  pastor  in  Maryland,  when  he  min- 

159 


160         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

istered  to  the  Barnesville,  Rockville,  and  Germantown 
churches,  but  he  returned  to  Virginia,  and  his  last  work 
and  last  days  were  spent  in  his  native  State  and  in  that 
section  of  it  to  which  he  had  already  given  so  many  years. 
He  was  "a  man  of  splendid  person  and  grand  intellect. 
His  scholarship  was  broad  and  accurate.  He  dehghted 
in  scientific  investigations  as  well  as  in  theological  dis- 
cussions. In  the  pulpit  he  was  commanding,  instructive 
and  attractive.  His  voice  was  strong  and  flexible.  His 
preaching  was  profound  while  not  wanting  in  ornamen- 
tation." Although  he  had  been  feeble  for  some  time,  his 
death,  which  took  place  August  20,  1892,  was  rather  sud- 
den. He  left  a  wife  and  two  sons.  His  eldest  son  had 
died  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  July  23,  1891. 


WILLIAM  S.  PERRY 

While  Maryland  was  the  birthplace  of  Wm.  S.  Perry, 
the  northern  end  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia  was  his  resi- 
dence and  field  of  labor  for  more  than  fifty  years.  Day- 
ton, Mount  Crawford,  and  Bridgewater  were  in  turn  his 
places  of  residence.  He  seems  to  have  labored  in  this 
section  of  Virginia,  where  Baptists,  forty  years  ago, 
w^ere  very  weak  and  few,  neither  in  connection  with  the 
State  Mission  Board  nor  as  a  regular  pastor.  If  he  was 
pastor  at  all  it  w^as  for  a  very  brief  period.  He  was 
instrumental  in  organizing  a  church  at  Mount  Crawford 
in  1841  and  another  at  Bridgew'ater  in  1873.  The 
Mount  Crawford  Church  called  for  his  ordination.  His 
health  was  so  delicate  as  not  to  allow  him  to  do  much 
active  ministerial  work.  "He  was  an  able  minister  of 
the  New  Testament — a  lover  of  his  Bible."  While  he 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  in  the  habit  of  attending 
the  annual  sessions  of  the  General  Association,  he  was 
appointed  as  a  delegate  by  the  Mount  Crawford  Church 
to  the  great  "Memorial  Meeting"  at  Richmond  in  1873, 
and  the  minutes  of  the  Association  for  that  year  enroll 
his  name  as  one  of  the  great  crowd  that  came  up  then. 
He  died  August  24,  1892,  in  the  seventy -ninth  year  of 
his  age,  at  the  time  a  member  of  the  Bridgewater  Church, 
and  was  buried  at  Mount  Crawford.  He  left  a  wife  and 
a  number  of  children.  His  memory  is  associated  with 
Bridgewater,  a  little  village  whose  clear  flowing  streams 
are  not  unlike  the  w^aters  of  "sweet  Afton"  and  of  the 
"bonnie  Doon,"  which  Burns  has  made  famous  by  his 
matchless  verses. 


161 


FERDINAND  H.  HALL 

Rev.  Addison  Hall,  who  for  so  many  years  was  a 
leading  pastor  among  the  Baptists  of  the  Northern  Neck, 
was  married  three  times  and  was  the  father  of  eighteen 
children.  One  of  these  children,  the  son  of  his  father's 
second  wife,  Miss  Catharine  C.  Crittenden,  was  Ferdi- 
nand H.  Hall.  As  a  teacher  and  as  a  preacher  he  was 
useful.  Notwithstanding  the  War,  he  had  secured  a 
fairly  good  English  education,  and  after  the  War  he 
spent  a  brief  season  at  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Greenville,  S.  C.  While  at  Greenville  he  was  connected, 
as  assistant  editor,  with  a  Baptist  paper.  Upon  return- 
ing to  Virginia  he  taught  school  for  a  time  and  then  be- 
came colporteur  in  the  Rappahannock  Association.  He 
visited  Gloucester  County  frequently  and  preached  there 
as  occasion  offered.  His  supply  work  at  Providence 
Church  led  to  his  being  called  to  this  church  and  to  his 
ordination  on  March  4  at  Harmony  Grove  Church,  Mid- 
dlesex County,  where  he  was  a  member.  Brethren  W. 
E.  Wiatt,  Julian  Broaddus,  and  Benj.  Bristow  formed 
the  presbytery.  Providence  and  Union  churches  formed 
his  field.  After  several  years  he  gave  up  Union  to  de- 
vote a  part  of  his  time  as  pastor  to  Poroporone  Church, 
King  and  Queen  County.  Providence  and  Poroporone 
churches  formed  his  field  at  the  time  of  his  death,  that 
occurred  October  30,  1892,  when  he  was  about  forty-five 
years  old.  He  was  instrumental  in  the  erecting  of  a 
very  large  and  handsome  house  of  worship,  which  was 
completed  just  before  his  death.  The  congregation  at 
his  funeral  was  immense.  He  was  married  twice.  His 
first  wife  was  Miss  M.  D.  Pitt,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Doug- 
las Pitt,  of  Middlesex  County.  His  second  wife  was 
the  daughter  of  R.  C.  Heywood,  of  Gloucester  County. 
Of  each  of  these  marriages  two  daughters  survived. 

162 


JOHN  S.  MASON 

John  S.  Mason  was  born  "at  or  near  Lynchburg,  July 
20,  1814,  when  that  now  beautiful  city  was  only  a  vil- 
lage." He  was  converted  at  a  Methodist  camp-meeting, 
but  his  study  of  the  New  Testament  led  him  to  become  a 
Baptist.  He  began  preaching  when  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  when  twenty  was  ordained.  His  first 
church  was  Mount  Calvary  (now  Kedron),  Campbell 
County,  Appomattox  Association.  His  ministry  ex- 
tended over  a  period  of  fifty-eight  years  and  "was  re- 
markable for  long  pastorates.  His  long  ministerial  la- 
bors were  confined  to  that  scope  of  country  embraced 
in  the  triangle  cornering  at  Lynchburg,  Danville,  and 
Richmond.  In  early  life  he  was  pastor  a  year  or  more 
of  a  colored  church  in  Lynchburg,  and  often  referred 
with  satisfaction  to  that  work.  For  many  years  Brother 
Mason  w^as  the  foremost  preacher  in  the  Appomattox 
Association."  He  was  moderator  of  this  body  in  1862 
when  it  met  with  the  New  Chapel  (Campbell  County) 
Church,  and  in  1863  when  it  met  with  the  New  Salem 
(Charlotte  County)  Church.  In  1861,  when  the  Appo- 
mattox Association  met  on  August  6  and  7  in  the  town 
of  Farmville,  Brother  Mason  offered  a  resolution  touch- 
ing colportage  among  the  soldiers  in  the  army  and  urg- 
ing the  churches  to  take  collections  for  this  object.  The 
following  statement  in  the  mniutes  of  that  year  gives 
an  interesting  suggestion  of  how  war  was  already  dis- 
turbing life  at  many  points :  "Brother  Sands  now  rose 
and  explained  why  the  Herald  had  failed  to  come,  and 
announced  that  they  had  at  Raleigh  found  paper  and 
would  recommence  publication."     At  the  session  of  the 

163 


164         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Appomattox  in  1867,  Brother  Mason  was  appointed  to 
look  after  Bethany  Church,  which  had  not  reported  to 
the  Association  since  1860.  He  was  also  appointed  a 
corresponding  messenger  to  the  next  General  Associa- 
tion. The  churches  which  he  served  in  the  Appomattox 
Association  were  Mount  Vernon,  Union  Hill,  Kedron, 
and  New  Chapel,  and  for  many  years  his  home  was  near 
Concord  Depot,  on  the  edge  of  Campbell  County. 
"Often  his  soul  seemed  to  be  aflame  with  the  love  of 
Christ  and  his  heart  would  melt  in  tenderness  towards 
sinners.  His  labors  were  largely  evangelistic.  It  would 
not  be  too  much  to  say  that  thousands  were  converted 
under  his  ministry.  .  .  .  He  was  free  from  kinks  and 
eccentricities,  and  the  churches  he  served  were  notable 
for  harmony,  Christian  love  and  good  work."  He  died 
at  his  home,  near  Concord  Depot,  November  10,  1892. 


THOMAS  B.  CREATH 

Thomas  B.  Creath  belonged  to  a  family  rich  in  Bap- 
tist preachers.  His  father,  Wm.  Creath,  and  four 
brothers,  Jacob,  J.  W.  D.,  Servetus,  and  Melancthon, 
were  preachers.  And  his  son,  William  Thomas,  bearing 
the  names  of  two  older  brothers  who  were  killed  in  bat- 
tle in  the  service  of  the  Confederacy,  is  now  a  Virginia 
Baptist  pastor.  A  sketch  of  Rev.  Melancthon  Creath 
will  be  found  in  the  second  series  of  "The  Lives  of  Vir- 
ginia Baptist  Ministers."  Thomas  B.  Creath  died  at  his 
home,  near  Jarratts,  Sussex  County,  Virginia,  Thurs- 
day, November  24,  1892.  His  funeral  was  preached 
November  26  by  Rev.  Dr.  A.  E.  Owen,  and  the  vener- 
able preacher  was  laid  to  rest,  as  he  had  requested,  in 
the  garden  of  his  home  where  he  had  lived  so  long.  Be- 
fore the  War  he  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  dispensed 
a  generous  hospitality.  "In  his  later  years  he  was  more 
circumscribed  in  his  means,  but  he  lived  above  want  and 
died  peacefully  in  the  bosom  of  his  family." 

What  follows  is,  with  some  omissions  and  some  verbal 
changes,  a  sketch  of  his  life  which  Mr.  Creath  prepared, 
dated  September  4,  1880:  "I  was  born  January  22, 
1802,  in  Mecklenburg  County,  Virginia.  I  was  con- 
verted in  the  woods  near  Wilson's  Meeting  House,  Meck- 
lenburg County,  while  Rev.  Thomas  Jeffries,  a  promi- 
nent young  minister,  was  praying  for  me.  He  and 
Brother  Jas.  Jeffries  were  under  the  instruction  of  my 
father.  .  .  .  My  father's  house  was  the  resort  of 
ministers  who  sought  instruction  and  advice  in  doctrines 
of  the  Bible,  he  being  considered  the  champion  in  the  de- 
fense of  election  and  baptism.     He  was  called  in  his  day 

165 


166         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

a  strong  Gillite  such  was  his  readiness  in  an  argument. 
Multitudes  followed  him  when  it  was  announced  Wm. 
Creath  would  preach  or  speak.  John  Randolph,  of  Roa- 
noke, .  .  .  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  to 
hear  my  father.  John  Kerr  and  Wm.  Creath  were  the 
only  two  men  he  could  listen  to  for  hours  without  being 
tired.  The  day  I  found  peace,  Ps.  62  :11  came  to  me  just 
before  I  found  peace,  while  on  my  knees.  Brother 
Thomas  Jeffries  praying.  I  was  overwhelmed  with  grief 
as  a  great  sinner.  The  above  passage  came  to  my  mind 
and  such  was  the  bright  manifestation  of  the  goodness 
of  God,  I  felt  like  telling  the  whole  world  what  the  Lord 
had  done  for  me.  Brother  Thomas  Jeffries  led  me  to 
my  father,  at  the  church,  saying:  'Brother  Creath,  here 
is  your  son.'  ...  I  commenced  exhorting  sinners  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  This  was  June  18,  1820. 
The  following  July  I  was  received  by  Wilson's  Baptist 
Church.  ...  I  was  baptized  by  my  father.  From 
that  time  to  the  present  I  have  felt  it  my  privilege  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  feeling  at  the 
same  time  my  inability  for  the  want  of  an  education. 
My  father  died  in  Edenton,  N.  C,  on  a  tour  of  preach- 
ing in  August,  1822.  I  itinerated  in  this  and  lower  coun- 
ties of  North  Carolina  a  year  or  two.  Feeling  the  im- 
portance of  close  study  to  qualify  myself  for  the  minis- 
try, I  located  in  Princess  Anne  County,  calling  Major 
Morris'  my  home.  Under  his  hospitable  roof  I  was 
kindly  treated,  especially  by  his  kind  wife  during  a  long- 
spell  of  sickness.  -  The  churches  of  Pungo  (now  Oak 
Grove)  and  Muddy  Creek  called  for  my  ordination.  I 
was  solemnly  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  Elders  Samuel 
Brown  and  Smith  Sherwood,  June  12,  1830,  serving 
some  two  years  or  more  as  the  pastor  of  said  churches. 
.  .  .  After  the  death  of  Elder  Nathaniel  Chambliss 
and  removal  of  Elder  Jeremiah  B.  Jeter  to  the  Northern 


THOMAS  B.  CREATH  167 

Neck  of  Virginia  .  .  .  Sappony  and  Seacock  in  Sus- 
sex extended  to  me  a  call,  also  Meherrin  in  Southamp- 
ton, where  old  Brother  Robert  Murrell  lived  and  labored 
for  many  years,  succeeded  by  Hardy  Cobb.  I  found  it 
in  a  very  feeble  and  declining  condition,  the  house  of 
worship  going  to  decay.  The  church  at  Seacock  was 
not  only  without  a  house  to  keep  them  dry,  but  the 
church  was  about  extinct.  The  people  of  the  world 
said  if  I  would  consent  to  preach  for  them  they  would 
furnish  money  and  build  a  meeting-house  on  a  more  de- 
sirable site.  Lemuel  Bain  proffered  the  land,  the  people 
went  to  work  and  soon  built  a  house  near  the  spot  where 
Elam  now  stands — changed  its  name  after  its  removal 
from  Seacock  to  Elam  by  the  suggestion  of  Brother  Bev- 
erly Booth,  of  Surry.  I  held  meeting  from  house  to 
house ;  in  most  instances  none  of  the  family  were  profes- 
sors. The  result  was  a  glorious  revival  extending  in 
different  sections,  numbering  about  ninety-five  conver- 
sions. Brother  James  L.  Gwathmey,  who  was  mission- 
ary in  our  bounds,  held  a  series  of  meetings  near  what 
was  then  called  Cotton's  Springs.  .  .  .  The  result  was 
a  number,  in  addition  to  those  converted  at  Elam,  deter- 
mined to  build  a  house  of  worship  and  constituted  a 
church  now  called  Newville.  .  .  .  Owing  to  declin- 
ing health  I  was  forced  to  resign  in  favor  of  Elder  Caleb 
C.  Gordon.  .  .  .  Paralytic  stroke,  both  sides,  after 
baptizing  seventy-two  persons  on  a  hot  July  day.  I  bap- 
tized about  1,400  persons,  assisted  in  constituting  several 
churches  and  ordaining  several  ministers  and  deacons. 
.  .  .  A  second  stroke  of  paralysis  prostrated  me.  al- 
most destroying  my  nervous  system.  The  erysipelas  in 
my  left  leg  from  hip  to  knee  followed,  causing  the  flesh 
to  slough  off,  attended  with  lockjaw,  the  most  excruciat- 
ing pain  endured  by  man  to  live;  indeed,  my  physician 
said  but  for  my  strong  faith  I  could  not  have  endured 


168         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

such  pain  .  .  .  The  doctor  told  me  I  was  the  second 
person  he  had  ever  read  of  or  known  of  to  recover;  he 
graduated  in  medicine  in  France.  .  .  .  My  deHcate 
situation  was  such  my  friends  advised  me  to  desist  from 
pubhc  speaking.  ...  I  gave  the  prime  of  my  Hfe  to 
the  churches  and  to  the  pubhc,  not  exacting  remunera- 
tion. I  told  them  that  I  could  live  without  being  charge- 
able to  them,  advising  them  to  give  all  they  could  to  other 
objects.  ...  I  married  Mary  C.  Atkinson,  in  1832, 
who  is  the  mother  of  seventeen  children,  eleven  living. 
Two  sons  were  killed  near  Richmond  in  1862." 


ISAAC  T.  AUSTIN 

The  service  of  this  minister  of  the  gospel  seems  to 
have  been  given  wholly  to  churches  in  the  Valley  Asso- 
ciation. In  this  section  for  upwards  of  thirty  years  he 
labored.  The  churches  of  which  he  was  pastor  were 
Bradshaw's  Creek,  Dry  Run,  and  Mount  Calvary.  His 
work  at  the  first  of  these  churches  lasted  a  number  of 
years,  having  begun  about  1873.  He  received  little  com- 
pensation for  his  labors  and  often  was  not  paid  at  all. 
While  not  greatly  gifted  as  a  public  speaker,  his  life  was 
an  epistle  known  and  read  of  all  men.  Within  a  short 
period  two  of  his  daughters  were  carried  off  by  the 
dreaded  disease,  consumption,  and  not  long  afterwards 
the  same  malady  caused  his  death.  He  departed  this 
life  at  his  home  in  Montgomery  Countv,  December  1, 
1892. 


WILLIAM  CAUTHORN  HALL 

On  July  5,  1812,  William  Cauthorn  Hall  was  born  in 
Fluvanna  County.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  being 
left  in  charge,  when  seventeen  years  old,  of  his  mother 
and  seven  brothers  and  sisters,  by  strict  economy  and 
good  management  he  succeeded  in  giving  the  young  peo- 
ple a  good  English  education.  When  nineteen  he  was 
already  a  Methodist  preacher,  but  in  1849  he  united  with 
the  Baptists,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  life  was  earnest  in 
their  ranks.  The  churches  that  he  served  during  his 
ministry  were:  Williamsburg,  Scottsville,  Diana  Mills, 
Blacksburg,  and  Four  Mile  Creek.  His  rather  frail 
health  seriously  interrupted  his  work  as  a  preacher,  mak- 
ing it  necessary  more  than  once  for  him  to  resign  his 
charge.  During  the  earlier  years  of  his  ministry  he  re- 
fused to  receive  any  compensation  for  preaching,  gain- 
ing his  support  by  business.  His  early  educational  ad- 
vantages were  limited,  but  loving  study  and  being  a  wide 
reader  and  an  independent  thinker,  he  surpassed  as  a 
scholar  many  whose  youthful  opportunities  had  been  far 
better  than  his.  He  was  fond  of  writing  and  left  behind 
him  many  manuscripts,  among  others  one  in  the  archives 
of  Richmond  College  and  a  "History  of  the  James  River 
Association."  He  wrote  frequently  for  the  papers,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  was  an  associated  editor  of  The 
Organizer,  a  small  Associational  sheet  published  in 
Lynchburg.  His  death  was  tragic.  The  Apostle  Paul 
tells  of  his  "perils  of  robbers,"  and  Mr.  Hall,  while  pas- 
tor near  Richmond,  was  brutally  assaulted  by  a  burglar; 
he  never  recovered  from  the  injuries  he  then  received, 
and  on  December  1,  1892,  at  his  home  in  Buckingham 
County,  he  passed  away.  He  was  married  twice.  His 
first  wife,  who  was  Miss  Eliza  A.  Sanderson,  of  Cum- 
berland County,  bore  him  four  sons.  His  second  wife 
was  Miss  Mattie  Tompkins,  of  Buckingham.  This 
sketch  is  based  on  an  article  in  the  Religions  Herald  by 
Rev.  I.  R.  Daniel. 

169 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS 

Until  a  few  years  ago,  there  stood  on  North  Pearl 
Street,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  a  building,  which,  with  its  gable 
roof,  narrow  windows  and  wooden  shutters,  must  have 
looked  doubly  quaint  surrounded  by  costly  modern 
structures.  This  edifice,  known  as  the  Lansing  house, 
was  erected  in  1710  out  of  brick  brought  in  a  sailing  ves- 
sel from  Holland.  The  building,  intended  for  a  trading 
post  with  the  Lidians  and,  therefore,  placed  outside  the 
stockade,  did  not  escape  rude  attacks  from  the  red  men, 
but  the  old  fireplace  tiles,  with  their  Scripture  scenes, 
suggest  that  behind  the  stout  doors  were  true,  brave 
hearts.  In  this  house  on  February  14,  1814,  John  Lan- 
sing Burrows  first  saw  the  light.  His  father  was  Samuel 
Burrows,  the  captain  of  an  American  privateer  in  the 
War  of  1812,  while  his  mother,  a  Miss  Lansing,  came  of 
old  Knickerbocker  stock. 

The  life  of  John  Lansing  Burrows,  which  was  des- 
tined to  stretch  out  through  threescore  and  nineteen 
years,  breaks  up  into  four  fairly  distinct  periods,  almost 
equal  in  length,  though  very  unequal  in  importance  and 
in  our  knowledge  of  them. 

The  first  of  these  periods  extends  to  1835,  in  which 
year  the  subject  of  this  sketch  attained  his  majority,  en- 
tered into  the  state  of  matrimony,  and  was  ordained  to 
the  gospel  ministry.  Of  these  two  decades  not  much  is 
known.  When  six  years  old  the  boy  lost  his  father,  who 
died  of  yellow  fever  in  Mobile.  From  this  time  he  came 
under  the  watchful  care  of  an  uncle,  who  was  a  Presby- 
terian elder  of  the  strictest  sect,  and  of  his  grandfather, 
Nathaniel  Burrows,  who  lived  in  Bucks  County,  Penn- 

170 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS  171 

sylvania.  Rev.  Dr.  Junkin,  of  Germantown,  Pa.,  pre- 
pared him  for  college — Union  College,  Schenectady,  N. 
Y.,  became  his  classical,  Andover  his  theological  alma 
mater.  He  was  ordained  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and 
shortly  afterwards  married  Miss  Adeline  Benthiiysen,  a 
union  which  was  to  last  through  thirty-eight  happy  years. 
Upon  his  ordination,  Mr.  Burrows  became  co-pastor  with 
Rev.  Dr.  McClay,  in  New  York  City,  whence,  after 
about  a  year,  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he  first 
helped  in  a  school  at  Elizabethtown,  and  then  presided 
over  one  of  his  own  at  Shelbyville.  While  in  Kentucky, 
he  not  only  helped  to  establish  churches  in  Owensboro 
and  Henderson  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Gen- 
eral Association  of  the  State,  but  also  became  known  in 
many  sections  through  his  successful  labors  for  the  cause 
of  Christ.  Already  the  good  man's  love  and  capacity 
for  work  were  being  developed  and  made  known.  An- 
other strong  point  in  his  character — an  honest,  intelli- 
gent interest  in  men  and  their  highest  good — appeared 
at  this  time  as  he  entered  heartily  into  the  plans  of  two 
young  men  hungry  for  an  education. 

In  1840  Philadelphia  captured  from  Kentucky  the 
young  preacher-professor  for  the  pastorate  of  the  San- 
son! Street  Baptist  Church.  The  loss  Kentucky  and  the 
South  thus  sustained  was  not  to  be  permanent,  for  Dixie- 
land was  eventually  to  have  the  larger  and  most  fruitful 
part  of  this  noble  life.  After  four  years  with  the  San- 
son! Street  saints,  Mr.  Burrows  went  out  at  the  head  of 
a  colony  to  form  the  Broad  Street  Church.  His  skill 
in  leadership,  and  his  power  to  bring  things  to  pass,  were 
seen  in  the  erection  of  an  imposing  house  of  worship  for 
the  new  flock.  He  met  the  strong  opposition  to  the  new 
edifice  with  the  assurance  and  entreaty:  "Let  me  alone 
and  I  will  build  it."  His  energy  in  the  accomplishment 
of  this  vow  knew  no  bounds,  for  not  satisfied  with  col- 


172         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

lecting  money,  he  kept  the  accounts  and  worked  on  the 
church  with  his  own  hands.  The  refrain  of  the  Sunday- 
school  hymn:  "Do  you  know  any  barefoot  boy?  Bring 
him  in,  bring  him  in,"  which  during  Dr.  Burrows'  Rich- 
mond pastorate  gave  him  and  great  congregations  of 
children  more  than  once  a  thrill  of  delight,  had  already 
found  an  echo  in  his  soul  while  he  was  in  Philadelphia. 
Many  "poor  boys"  were  buried  by  him  in  baptism,  one 
of  whom  afterwards  became  a  multimillionaire,  whose 
generous  gifts  to  educational  and  other  denominational 
movements  have  made  the  name  of  Jno.  B.  Trevor  well 
known  among  us. 

After  fourteen  years  in  the  "Quaker  City,"  Dr.  Bur- 
rows accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Rich- 
mond, Virginia.  To  this  church  he  was  to  give  a  score 
of  years,  the  best  years  of  his  life.  From  this  church, 
one  of  the  most  influential  and  historic  in  the  South,  he 
was  to  receive  the  most  lavish  and  lasting  affection.  He 
was  coming  to  a  city  of  literary  aptitudes  and  genial 
social  refinement.  He  was  coming  to  this  city  on  the 
eve  of  a  great  civil  war,  in  which  w^ar  Richmond  was  to 
play  a  leading  role.  He  was  coming  to  the  First  Church 
to  be  the  "successor  of  the  laborious  Courtney,  the  elo- 
quent Kerr,  the  wise-hearted  Jeter,  the  Christly  Manly." 
While  Dr.  Burrows  had  under  consideration  the  call  of 
the  First  Church,  high  hopes  had  been  raised  among  the 
Baptists  of  Richmond  and  Virginia  as  to  the  bishop  they 
sought  to  win  from  Pennsylvania.  These  hopes,  not  to 
be  disappointed,  were  inspired  by  his  first  appearance  be- 
fore the  General  Association.  At  a  mass-meeting  held 
at  Grace  Street  Church,  he  had  followed  J.  G.  Oncken, 
the  Baptist  apostle  of  Germany,  in  an  address  of  thrill- 
ing power.  The  place  which  this  address  gained  for 
him  in  the  esteem  of  the  denomination  throughout  the 
city  and  State  was  a  prophecy  of  his  wise  and  enthusi- 
astic leadership  among  Virginia  Baptists  for  two  decades. 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS  173 

It  so  happened  that  Dr.  Burrows'  first  Sunday  at  the 
First  Church  was  also  the  first  Sunday  that  two  young 
men,  then  students  at  Richmond  College,  afterwards  of- 
ficers in  the  college,  ever  spent  in  the  capital  city  of  their 
State.  The  incoming  pastor  made  a  deep  impression 
on  them,  as  they  testified  at  his  funeral.  Their  words 
set  the  scenes  of  that  first  Sunday,  and  the  chief  figure 
in  those  scenes  vividly  before  us.  Dr.  W.  E.  Hatcher 
said :  "It  is  easy  now  to  recall  with  what  wonder  I  sat 
in  these  galleries  and  heard  the  new  preacher.  Such 
crowds  I  had  never  seen  before,  and  as  for  the  preacher, 
he  was  a  revelation  to  me.  That  form  so  full  and  round 
and  yet  so  elastic  and  graceful,  that  eye  so  splendid  in 
its  flash,  that  voice  so  rich  and  thrilling,  that  exhaustless 
flow  of  language,  so  apt  and  elegant,  and  that  whole 
combination  of  art  and  soul,  which  marked  his  public 
speech,  was  a  quickening  sensation  to  my  whole  nature. 
I  did  not  know  that  God  made  men  like  that."  Professor 
H.  H.  Harris  (the  other  young  man)  said:  "That  was  a 
notable  day,  for  a  new  pastor,  coming  in  the  pride  of  his 
manhood,  was  just  entering  upon  the  greatest  and  best 
work  of  his  life.  His  two  sermons  on  the  "Mutual 
Duties  of  Pastor  and  People"  still  linger  in  my  recol- 
lection." 

The  high  hopes  and  rich  promise  of  such  an  auspicious 
beginning  were  not  to  be  dashed  to  the  ground.  In  his 
own  church,  in  Richmond,  throughout  the  State,  his  in- 
fluence for  good  was  soon  felt.  He  depended  for  suc- 
cess in  his  preaching,  not  on  clap-trap  or  sensational 
methods,  but  upon  the  simple  story  of  the  Cross.  "He 
made  the  church  feel  that  its  power  lay  not  in  numbers, 
wealth,  secularities,  but  in  the  ever-present,  ever-eflicient 
Holy  Spirit.  He  strongly  impressecl  the  church  with  his 
spirit  of  unselfishness."  Dr.  George  Cooper,  afterwards 
pastor   of   the   church,    says   that   the    spiritual   impress 


174         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

which  Dr.  Burrows  made  upon  the  church  is  still  felt. 
When  such  a  feeling  was  prevalent  among  the  members, 
it  was  no  doubt  an  easy  matter  for  the  pastor  to  intro- 
duce, withojut  causing  any  dissension,  an  organ,  for  the 
improvement  of  the  singing.  The  fact  that  he  did  in- 
troduce the  organ  suggests  the  thought  that  with  his 
high  spirituality  there  was  combined  practical  common 
sense.  He  believed  in  making  all  good  things  subserve 
the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  His  own 
preeminent  success  as  a  preacher  had,  as  one  of  its  fac- 
tors, his  elocutionary  power.  His  grace  as  a  speaker  and 
reader  came  not  alone  from  natural  gifts,  but  also  from 
a  faithful  and  painstaking  cultivation  of  these  gifts.  In 
Philadelphia  he  had  taken  lessons  from  a  distinguished 
teacher  of  elocution,  and  in  Richmond  he  did  not  fail 
to  practice  reading  aloud  in  private.  His  study  being  at 
the  church  gave  him  the  larger  opportunity  for  such  prac- 
tice. His  excellence  as  a  reader  made  the  people's  sat- 
isfaction with  his  reading  his  sermons  the  more  ready, 
though  such  a  custom  had  been  in  disfavor  in  the  South, 
among  the  Baptists  at  least. 

His  secret  of  power  as  a  preacher  lay  deeper  than  in 
merely  graceful  and  effective  elocution.  "His  sermons 
were  methodical,  fresh,  clear,  forcible,  practical  and 
sometimes  very  eloquent  and  impressive."  Not  only  in 
Richmond,  but  also  in  all  quarters  he  was  increasingly 
in  demand  for  dedications,  Associational  meetings,  Sun- 
day school  conventions,  college  commencements,  popular 
lectures,  patriotic  addresses,  banquet  speeches,  and  other 
such  things. 

In  illustration  of  Dr.  Burrows'  power  as  a  preacher, 
a  description  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Andrew  Broaddus  is 
appropriate:  "He  was,  I  think,  on  the  whole,  the  finest 
elocutionist  I  ever  heard.  He  was  entirely  free  from  the 
affectation  that  marks  the  performances  of  some  who 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS  175 

pride  themselves  on  their  elocutionary  skill.  His  voice 
was  full  and  round,  his  enunciation  clear  and  distinct, 
and  neither  too  rapid  nor  too  slow,  and  his  emphasis 
correctly  placed,  and  so  significant  that  it  brought  out 
vividly  the  sense  of  what  he  read  or  spoke.  I  recall  two 
occasions  on  which  I  heard  him  preach  with  power  and 
effect.  In  1860  he  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon  on 
the  opening  of  the  new  and  beautiful  house  of  worship 
erected  by  the  Upper  King  and  Queen  Church,  of  which 
I  was  then  pastor.  A  great  congregation  filled  to  reple- 
tion the  spacious  audience-room,  and  the  three  long  and 
wnde  galleries,  and  blocked  up  the  doorways.  A  crowd, 
so  far  from  intimidating  Dr.  Burrows,  as  it  does  some 
nervous  speakers,  seemed  to  inspire  him.  His  text  was 
Psalms  45:15:  'With  gladness  and  rejoicing  shall  they 
be  brought ;  they  shall  enter  into  the  king's  palace.'  He 
depicted,  with  no  little  beauty  and  eloquence,  the  splen- 
dor and  glory  of  the  king's  palace,  and  the  triumphant 
songs  of  joy  with  which  his  people  enter  it ;  and  drawing 
near  the  end  of  his  sermon,  he  requested  the  congrega- 
tion to  rise,  and  with  the  dramatic  effect  of  which  he  was 
no  mean  master,  he  dedicated  the  building,  in  striking 
language,  to  the  service  of  God  and  closed  with  a  fervid 
and  eloquent  invocation.  It  would  have  been  difficult 
for  any  man  to  have  preached  a  more  appropriate  ser- 
mon. The  other  sermon  to  which  I  allude  was  preached 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Rappahannock  Association.  A  very 
large  arbor  had  been  built.  All  the  seats  under  it  were 
occupied,  and  carriages  filled  with  people  were  drawn 
up  around  its  borders.  There  were  probably  1,500  peo- 
ple in  the  congregation.  It  had  been  arranged  that  there 
should  be  two  sermons — the  first  by  Dr.  Burrows  and 
the  second  by  Dr.  Poindexter.  Dr.  Burrows'  text  was 
Matthew  25,  part  of  verse  45  :  'Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it 
not' ;  and  his  theme  was  the  guilt  and  danger  of  omis- 


176         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

sion.  .  .  .  He  was  listened  to  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  his  sermon  with  undivided  and  intense 
attention.  In  the  course  of  his  sermon  he  sent  a  thrill 
through  the  great  congregation  by  exclaiming,  in  his 
full,  round  tones,  and  with  the  impressive  emphasis  of 
which  he  was  a  master :  'Men  are  sent  to  hell  for  doing 
nothing.'  He  had  hardly  reached  his  seat  before  Dr. 
Poindexter  was  up,  had  announced  his  text,  and  had 
plunged,  with  characteristic  vigor  and  fire,  into  his  ser- 
mon. He  told  me  afterwards  that  he  saw  the  people 
had  been  wrought  up  by  Dr.  Burrows  to  a  state  of  in- 
tense feeling,  and  he  hoped  to  maintain  it  by  omitting 
all  introductory  services  and  going  right  on  with  the 
sermon.  With  all  his  great  powers,  he  hardly  succeeded 
— partly,  no  doubt,  because  some  had  become  weary 
from  the  unusual  length  of  the  sendee." 

Another  incident  showing  Dr.  Burrows'  power  as  a 
preacher  must  not  be  omitted.  It  is  given  by  Mrs.  Anna 
L.  Price,  and  in  her  own  words :  "A  young  member  of 
his  church  (Miss  Mattie  Braxton)  had  died,  and  her 
family,  with  other  friends,  had  assembled  to  see  her 
form  for  the  last  time  and  hear  her  pastor's  funeral 
address.  Dr.  Burrows'  text  was :  'Precious  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  His  saints.'  The  preacher's 
tone,  manner  and  words  were  inexpressibly  touching, 
tender,  and  consoling.  In  the  audience  was  a  man  of 
naturally  noble  character  and  great  depth  of  feeling, 
but  he  was  not  a  man  given  to  weeping.  This  person 
was  my  own  dear  father  (H.  W.  R.),  gathered  eighteen 
years  since  to  the  rest  of  God's  dear  children,  for  he 
died  trusting  in  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified.  I  no- 
ticed the  close,  sad,  breathless  attention  my  father  was 
giving  to  Dr.  Burrows,  whose  oratorical  power  increased 
as  he  told  of  the  love  God  bore  his  earthly  children,  of 
their  preciousness  in  his  sight;  then,  pausing,  he  leaned 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS  177 

slightly  beside  his  desk  and  added,  most  gently :  'And 
yet  they  die.'  He  told  more  of  the  Christian's  privileges, 
gifts,  mercies,  personal  keeping  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Again  he  paused,  again  leaned  forward  as  though  to 
touch  every  hearer  and,  with  that  wonderful  pathos, 
said :  'And  yet  they  die.'  But  my  father  was  weeping 
violently,  though  quietly,  and,  on  leaving  the  church, 
stood  long  beside  one  of  those  great  pillars  in  front  ere 
he  could  compose  himself  for  the  street.  Need  I  add 
more  concerning  the  oratorical  powers  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Burrows?"  One  more  testimony  as  to  Dr.  Burrows' 
ability  as  a  preacher.  The  late  Professor  John  Hart 
said  that  he  would  rather  listen  to  Dr.  Burrows  twice  a 
week,  year  after  year,  than  to  any  other  preacher  of  his 
acquaintance.  The  Herald,  upon  this,  remarked :  "That 
is  high  praise  when  it  is  remembered  that  Mr.  Hart 
heard  Dr.  Burrows  twice  a  week  through  a  series  of 
years  and  has  heard  all  the  great  preachers  among  the 
Baptists.  Besides,  he  is  an  uncommonly  fine  judge  of 
preaching." 

Dr.  Burrows  came  to  Richmond  on  the  eve  of  the 
War.  His  position  would  have  been  a  difficult,  perhaps 
an  impossible,  one  for  a  man  less  wise,  less  gifted  with 
the  power  of  adaptation.  "He  made  no  promises,  and 
no  apologies.  He  came  as  one  who  had  a  call  and  who 
came  to  fulfil  it.  It  was  not  long  before  he  had  won 
all  hearts.  The  people  believed  in  him  and  they  cared 
not  whence  he  came.  Without  the  least  compromise  and 
yet  with  the  utmost  facility  he  glided  into  his  place." 
The  War  but  widened  the  sphere  of  his  work  and  gave 
fuller  scope  to  his  tireless  energy.  His  church,  a  favor- 
ite with  the  soldiers  quartered  in  Richmond,  was  often 
so  crowded  with  them  that  when  the  congregation  rose 
to  sing  the  galleries  presented  the  appearance  of  a  regi- 
ment on  dress  parade.     He  did  not  simply  preach  to  the 


178         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

"boys  in  gray"  when  they  came  to  him ;  he  went  to  them. 
He  preached  a  great  deal  in  the  camps  and  was  as  active 
as  the  most  active  in  the  great  rehgious  revival  which 
swept  through  the  army.  When  appointed  by  Dr.  J. 
Wm.  Jones  to  preach  four  times  one  day,  he  gently  pro- 
tested, suggesting  that  the  work  was  being  piled  up 
"just  a  little  too  heavy."  When  reminded,  however,  that 
many  of  the  soldiers  were  hearing  their  last  message  of 
salvation,  he  said:  "All  right;  I'll  fill  these  appoint- 
ments, and  I  would  be  glad  if  you  could  appoint  me  to 
preach  six  times  to-morrow."  While  no  man  could  sur- 
pass Dr.  Burrows  in  attention  to  matters  of  dress  and 
decorum  in  the  pulpit,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  the  fact  that 
he  was  not  dependent  on  such  conditions  to  preach  his 
best  is  shown  by  an  anecdote  which  has  gone  the  rounds. 
When  the  wounded  were  moved  back  from  Winchester 
to  Staunton  in  July,  1863,  Dr.  Burrows  made  the  whole 
distance  of  ninety  miles  on  foot.  Anxious  to  hear 
preaching,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  had  lost  his 
coat  on  the  way,  he  slipped  into  the  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Harrisonburg  Sunday  morning  and  took  a  back  seat, 
thinking  that  no  one  would  know  him.  The  minister, 
however,  being  informed  who  he  was,  asked  him  to 
preach.  Dr.  Burrows  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
he  had  no  coat.  This  was  not  accepted  as  a  valid  excuse, 
so  he  preached,  as  he  was,  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  a  most 
excellent  sermon.  Dr.  Burrows  reached  the  soldiers  also 
through  the  printed  page.  His  sermon  to  the  memory 
of  Colonel  Lewis  Minor  Coleman,  Professor  of  Latin  in 
the  University  of  Virginia,  entitled :  "The  Christian 
Scholar  and  Soldier,"  was  published  in  tract  form  and 
widely  circulated  in  the  army. 

Dr.  Burrows,  while  ministering  to  the  spiritual  needs 
of  the  soldiers,  could  not  be  unmindful  of  their  temporal 
wants.      He  was  a  zealous  member  of  the  Richmond 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS  179 

Ambulance  Corps.  From  the  battlefield  he  would  bear 
off  in  his  arms  the  wounded  of  both  armies.  After  the 
fight  at  Seven  Pines  he  waded  in  the  swamps  to  find  and 
rescue  the  wounded.  At  Winchester  he  busied  himself 
in  the  hospital  with  bucket  and  brush,  scrubbing  the 
floors. 

"Over  each  of  the  twenty-one  First  Church  'boys  in 
gray'  who  sealed  their  fate  on  the  tented  field,  this  great 
soul  might  have  cried  out  as  David  over  the  slain  Abso- 
lom :  'My  son,  my  son,  would  that  I  had  died  for  thee, 
my  son,  my  son.'  A  glimpse  of  these  dark  days  is  given 
us  by  his  own  pen :  'We  were  drawn  into  closer  fellow- 
ship by  the  terrible  pressure  of  war.  Our  sons  and 
brothers  were  in  daily  peril,  and  at  many  a  funeral  and 
over  many  a  death  where  no  home  burial  was  possible 
we  mingled  our  tears  and  our  prayers  together.  We 
shared  with  each  other  our  scant  rations  and  bore  the 
fearful  privations  of  a  besieged  city,  and  the  crushing 
disappointments  and  terrible  losses  and  horrors  of  the 
closing  scenes.'  "  After  the  War  Dr.  Burrows  delivered 
a  lecture  on  "The  Evacuation  of  Richmond,"  which  was 
eloquent  and  graphic  in  a  high  degree. 

A  few  years  after  the  War  Dr.  Warren  Randolph 
was  in  Richmond  w-hen  the  following  incident  occurred. 
Referring  to  a  horseback  ride  that  he  had  with  Dr.  Bur- 
rows, Dr.  Curry,  and  Professor  Harris,  Dr.  Randolph 
says :  "I  remember  an  incident  at  Hollywood.  As  we 
all  rode  through  the  gate  the  keeper  scanned  us  pretty 
closely.  Dr.  Burrows  told  him  who  we  were,  'two  were 
professors  in  Richmond  College  and  two  were  Yankees' 
(both  having  lived  in  Philadelphia),  but  the  keeper  w^as 
not  taken  in  by  the  clever  joke.  With  a  twinkle  in  his 
bright  eye,  as  he  turned  to  the  shortest,  stoutest  man  of 
the  company,  he  said :  'I've  seen  you  before,'  when  all 
joined  heartily  in  the  laugh." 


180         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Dr.  Burrows  was  popular  and  in  demand  among  all 
denominations  while  in  Richmond.  He  was  interested 
in  all  plans  for  Christian,  philanthropic,  and  patriotic 
endeavor.  Rev.  Dr.  M.  D.  Hoge,  in  his  address  at  the 
funeral,  referred  beautifully  to  this  feature  in  Dr.  Bur- 
rows' life  and  character,  speaking,  in  part,  as  follows: 
"Nor  can  I  forget  the  Sunday  afternoon  at  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  Virginia  Bible  Society  in  my  church  when 
Dr.  Burrows  preached  the  sermon  in  which  he  held  up 
a  small  Bible  in  his  hand  and  told  us  of  the  unsearchable 
riches,  the  inexhaustible  mines  of  truth,  and  the  unutter- 
able preciousness  of  the  little  volume,  which  had  done 
more  for  the  welfare  of  the  human  race  than  all  the  un- 
inspired libraries  of  the  world.  I  can  not  now  attempt 
to  enumerate  the  varied  departments  of  labor  to  which 
he  gave  his  time  and  toil,  some  of  them  secular,  all  of 
them  designed  to  advance  the  public  good.  There  may 
be  some  in  this  assembly  who  formed  a  part  of  the  great 
audience  to  which  Edward  Everett  delivered  his  cele- 
brated oration,  in  which  he  urged  the  patriotic  duty  of 
rescuing  the  dwelling  and  tomb  of  Washington  from  the 
decay  and  desecration  to  which  it  was  exposed,  and  of 
placing  both  under  the  guardianship  of  an  association 
for  the  purpose — the  Ladies"  Mount  Vernon  Associa- 
tion— suggested  first  by  a  daughter  of  South  Carolina. 
The  prosecution  of  that  work  had  no  more  ardent  advo- 
cate than  Dr.  Burrows.  His  eloquent  appeals  in  its  be- 
half are  still  gratefully  remembered  by  many  of  our  citi- 
zens, and  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  noble 
work  accomplished." 

The  graceful  words  of  Dr.  Tupper,  spoken  at  the 
funeral,  show  us  the  man  and  the  place  he  occupied  in 
the  city  and  State:  "The  greatness  of  this  man  of  God 
comprehended  conspicuously  the  suavity,  kindliness,  gen- 
erosity, the  magnanimity,   broad-heartiness  of   the   cul- 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS  181 

tured  Christian  gentleman,  whence  flowed  innumerable 
acts  of  pleasantness,  favor,  self-forgetfulness,  charity, 
which  made  him  when  resident  here  and  viewed  in  his 
relations  with  all  classes,  conditions  and  associations  of 
society,  in  peace  and  in  war,  perhaps  the  most  popular, 
admired,  and  beloved  citizen  of  the  town,  if  not  of  the 
Commonwealth. " 

In  the  general  wreck  and  ruin  of  war,  Richmond  Col- 
lege had  not  escaped.  After  the  surrender,  like  every- 
thing else  in  the  South,  it  had  to  begin  its  work  almost 
from  the  foundation.  Its  buildings  had  been  defaced, 
its  students  and  faculty  scattered,  its  endowment  well- 
nigh  destroyed.  At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Asso- 
ciation, in  June,  1866,  the  Education  Board  reported  that 
during  the  year  they  had  "collected  no  funds,  assisted 
no  young  men,  transacted  no  business."  "On  this  report 
the  ardent,  buoyant  Burrows  and  the  fervid  over-mas- 
tering Poindexter  spoke  like  the  prophets  Zechariah  and 
Haggai  in  the  olden  time  in  eloquent  appeals  to  rise  up 
and  build."  A  motion  to  reopen  the  college  was  carried 
with  enthusiasm  and  the  trustees  appointed  as  a  Com- 
mittee on  New  Organization,  J.  L.  Burrows,  James 
Thomas,  Jr.,  and  J.  B.  Jeter.  Thus  was  Richmond  Col- 
lege set  on  its  feet  again.  Besides  being  a  trustee,  Dr. 
Burrows  was  president  of  the  Education  Board,  or,  as 
Professor  Harris  says,  he  zms  the  Education  Board.  He 
devised  and  carried  out  a  scheme  for  supporting  a  num- 
ber of  young  men  who  were  absolutely  without  funds. 
The  farmers  throughout  the  State,  though  unable  to  give 
money,  willingly  responded  with  boxes  of  provisions. 
The  express  companies  transported  these  supplies  at  a 
nominal  cost.  So  a  mess  was  established  and  a  plan 
wrought  out  which,  in  a  modified  form,  has  worked  and 
proved  a  blessing  among  us  ever  since.  In  referring  to 
this  period  of  Dr.  Burrows'  life.  Professor  Harris  says: 


182         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

"Of  his  services  to  the  cause  of  ministerial  education  it 
is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he,  more  than  any  other, 
created  an  uplift  of  our  whole  denomination  in  the 
State." 

Again,  in  1873,  the  "Memorial  Year,"  Dr.  Burrows 
did  splendid  work  for  the  cause  of  education.  Upon 
motion  of  H.  K.  Ellyson,  it  had  been  determined  by  the 
General  Association  to  undertake  the  raising  of  $300,- 
000.  Dr.  Burrows  was  called  on  to  organize  and  direct 
the  campaign.  For  this  work  he  was  released  by  his 
church  for  twelve  months.  But  for  the  financial  panic, 
with  its  famous  "Black  Friday,"  the  whole  amount  would 
doubtless  have  been  raised.  And  the  $150,000  which 
was  actually  paid  in  is  "a  lasting  memorial,  not  only  to 
the  liberality  of  the  donors,  but  of  the  marvelous  zeal 
and  energy  of  him  who  managed  its  collection." 

It  may  not  be  necessary  to  record  here  all  the  lines 
of  denominational  work  in  which  Dr.  Burrows  was  use- 
ful. The  Richmond  Female  Institute  had  in  him  a  warm 
friend ;  he  was  for  six  years  president,  and  for  a  longer 
period  a  member  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board ;  three 
times  was  he  elected  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention. 

Dr.  Burrows'  cheerfulness.  Christian  urbanity,  and 
genial  cordiality  gave  him  at  once  an  indescribable  chami 
and  a  far-reaching  power  over  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact.  Children  loved  him,  and  no  wonder.  He 
was  childlike  in  spirit.  One  summer  day,  a  number  of 
little  girls,  in  their  dainty  evening  attire,  were  amusing 
themselves,  near  the  First  Church,  by  jumping  rope  on 
the  pavement.  Dr.  Burrows  came  down  the  street.  One 
little  girl  playfully  exclaimed:  "Every  one  that  passes 
must  jump."  With  a  smile  of  great  good  humor  and 
with  the  agility  of  a  boy.  Dr.  Burrows  leaped  well  over 
the  rope  and  went  on,  to  the  amusement  and  delight  of 
the  children. 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS  183 

While  Dr.  G.  B.  Taylor  was  chaplain  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  Dr.  Burrows  came  one  year  to  preach  the 
commencement  sermon  and  was  Dr.  Taylor's  guest.  One 
evening,  at  the  tea  table,  some  subject  in  the  conversation 
greatly  interested  Mary,  a  tot  with  long  golden  curls. 
After  considerable  self-control,  she  could  restrain  her- 
self no  longer,  and  with  great  animation  made  her  com- 
ment, interrupting  whoever  was  speaking.  Her  mother 
tried  to  repress  her,  but  Dr.  Burrows  was  on  Mary's 
side,  pleading  in  his  rich  voice  for  her:  "Oh,  mamma, 
let  the  little  one  talk." 

There  never  was  a  man  more  considerate  of  other 
people's  feelings,  or  more  ready  to  make  amends  when 
perchance  he  had  given  offense.  In  a  controversy  with 
one  of  his  brethren,  the  latter  became  so  offended  that 
he  declined  to  speak  to  the  Doctor,  or,  at  least,  he  evaded 
him  whenever  he  came  near.  At  last  Dr.  Burrows  met 
the  offended  brother  on  Main  Street  and,  grasping  him 
by  the  hand,  said :  "I  will  speak  to  you ;  you  may  be 
right  and  I  may  be  wrong.  At  any  rate,  we  are  not 
children,  but  Christian  brethren,  and  we  will  be  on  good 
terms  as  heretofore." 

In  1873,  after  a  married  life  of  some  thirty-eight 
years.  Dr.  Burrows  was  called  on  to  mourn  the  death 
of  his  wife.  She  was  buried  in  Hollywood,  where  al- 
most twenty  years  later  he  found  his  last  resting-place 
by  her  side.  To  Dr.  Burrows  three  children  were  born, 
two  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  daughter  married  Pro- 
fessor W.  Winston  Fontaine  and  died  in  Texas  in  1889. 
The  sons  were  Rev.  Lansing  Burrows,  D.  D.,  at  present 
the  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Americus,  Ga.,  and 
for  many  years  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention,  and  Mason  Mitchell  Burrows,  who 
died  in  1863. 

In  1874,  Dr.  Burrows  resigned  the  pastorate  of  the 
First  Church,  Richmond,  to  accept  a  call  to  the  Broad- 


184         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

way  Baptist  Church,  Louisville,  Ky.  Here  Dr.  Bur- 
rows remained  about  seven  years.  During  this  pas- 
torate he  sustained  a  heavy  loss  in  the  destruction  by  fire 
of  his  library  and  all  his  sermons.  So  great  was  Dr. 
Burrows'  energy,  so  varied  had  his  reading  and  culture 
been,  so  active  was  his  mind,  that  he  doubtless  was  much 
less  disturbed  by  the  devastation  wrought  by  the  flames 
than  most  preachers  would  have  been.  A  series  of  ser- 
mons which  Dr.  Burrows  preached  in  Louisville  on  the 
"Prodigal  Son,"  whether  they  were  delivered  before  or 
after  the  fire  is  not  known,  were  most  favorably  re- 
ceived. Rev.  R.  L.  Thurman  pronounced  them  the  best 
sermons  on  the  subject  he  had  ever  heard.  Afterwards 
when  Dr.  Burrows  preached  the  same  series  in  Norfolk, 
and  they  were  printed  in  one  of  the  city  papers.  Dr.  An- 
drew Broaddus  was  much  impressed  with  them  and 
thought  they  were  worthy  of  a  more  permanent  form. 

While  in  Louisville  he  was  called  on  suddenly  to  speak 
at  the  Bardstown  Institute  Commencement,  the  ap- 
pointed orator  having  been  detained  at  the  eleventh  hour. 
His  acceptance  saved  the  college  officers  from  an  awk- 
ward situation  and  gave  evidence  of  the  spirit  of  the 
man.  The  address  which  he  made  on  the  humming  bird 
delighted  the  audience. 

In  1882,  Dr.  Burrows  left  Broadway  and  became  pas- 
tor of  the  Freemason  Street  Church,  Norfolk,  Virginia. 
This  was,  strictly  speaking,  his  last  pastorate.  One  can 
but  be  impressed  with  the  vitality  and  energy  of  a  man 
who  at  sixty-eight  years  of  age  was  willing  and  able 
to  undertake  the  pastorate  of  a  large  city  church.  He 
was  equal  to  the  situation,  doing  a  valuable  work,  "not 
only  in  the  church,  but  also  in  the  city,  in  creating  and 
developing  the  missionary  or  evangelical  spirit  which 
had  been  so  lacking  before." 

After  Dr.  Burrows  had  been  at  Freemason  Street 
some  nine  years,   feeling  that  his  health  was  declining, 


JOHN  LANSING  BURROWS  185 

he  decided  to  resign.  For  a  time  he  was  uncertain  where 
he  would  next  make  his  home.  At  this  juncture  an 
episode  occurred  which  did  credit  to  all  concerned.  The 
venerable  man  of  God  received  a  most  beautiful  and 
affectionate  letter  from  the  First  Church,  Richmond, 
asking  the  privilege  of  entertaining  him  as  their  guest 
for  the  years  yet  remaining  to  him  and  enclosing  a  check 
for  $225.  The  church  had  taken  this  action  by  a  unani- 
mous rising  vote  and  had  entrusted  the  matter  to  a  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  the  pastor,  Dr.  George  Cooper,  and 
Dr.  W.  D.  Thomas,  John  C.  Williams,  William  F.  Har- 
wood,  and  R.  D.  Ward.  Dr.  Burrows  declined  the  invi- 
tation, deciding  to  spend  the  closing  years  of  life  under 
the  roof -tree  of  his  son,  in  Augusta.  Although  arrived 
at  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-seven,  he  was  not  content  to 
be  without  work  in  his  new  home.  So  he  became  the 
stated  supply  for  the  Ways  Church,  located  some  thirty- 
one  miles  from  Augusta  and  near  Stellaville.  Once  a 
month,  on  Thursday  or  Friday  before  the  first  Sunday 
in  each  month,  he  went  out  to  his  charge,  to  be  present 
at  the  Saturday  conference  of  the  church  and  to  visit 
some  among  the  members,  as  well  as  to  preach  on  the 
Lord's  Day.  It  was  on  one  of  these  trips  that  he  re- 
ceived his  summons  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ.  Nor 
did  the  summons  find  him  unwilling  or  unprepared.  A 
few  weeks  before  he  had  said  to  a  friend :  "Death  has 
no  terrors  for  me  .  .  .  and  I  have  no  craving  to  live. 
I  am  going  home."  The  end  came,  as  he  had  wished  it 
might,  suddenly.  On  the  first  of  January,  1893,  being 
Sunday,  he  preached  at  Ways  from  the  text:  "Be  ready 
for  every  good  work."  Titus  3:1.  This  was  his  last 
public  utterance,  and  his  hearers  report  that  he  was  un- 
usually tender  and  gracious.  He  spent  Sunday  night  at 
the  home  of  A.  C.  Taylor,  one  of  his  members.  The 
next    morning,    having    walked    out    on    the    farm    and 


186         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

watched  the  hands  at  work,  he  returned  to  the  house  and 
started  up  the  porch  steps.  He  paused,  sat  down  on  the 
second  step,  his  head  drooped  to  one  side,  and  when 
friends  reached  him  he  was  dead. 

Funeral  services  were  held  in  Augusta,  a  memorial 
sermon  being  preached  from  the  text :  "I  have  fought  a 
good  fight,"  by  Dr.  Henry  McDonald,  of  Atlanta,  but 
Dr.  Burrows'  request  that  his  remains  should  be  taken 
to  Richmond  was  not  disregarded.  The  services  in  Rich- 
mond, held  in  the  old  First  Church,  especially  draped  for 
the  occasion,  were  presided  over  by  Rev.  W.  D.  Thomas, 
addresses  being  made  by  Drs.  Cooper,  Tupper,  Hoge, 
Hatcher,  and  Harris.  It  seemed  very  fitting  that  he 
should  sleep  his  last  sleep  in  the  soil  of  Virginia,  where 
the  larger  part  of  his  ministry  had  been  spent — in  Holly- 
wood, the  necropolis  of  that  city  to  which  his  ripest  and 
richest  years  had  been  given. 

The  memorial  services  w^hich  were  held  both  in  Louis- 
ville and  Norfolk,  and  the  numerous  notices  that  ap- 
peared in  the  various  religious  and  secular  papers, 
showed  that  the  cry  of  our  Southern  Baptist  Zion  was : 

"O  fallen  at  length,  that  tower  of  strength, 
Which  stood  four  square  to  all  the  winds  that  blew." 

The  sturdy  vigor  of  body  and  mind  which  he  had  in- 
herited from  his  ancestors  was  the  substructure  for  a 
solid  and  beautiful  character  which,  under  the  grace  of 
God,  he  built  up  through  fourscore  years.  A  true  man, 
a  sympathetic  friend,  a  wise  counselor,  a  bold  leader,  an 
eloquent  preacher,  a  faithful  pastor,  a  champion  of  edu- 
cation, an  indomitable  worker,  a  thorough  Baptist,  truly 
a  veteran  had  fallen  whose  place  would  be  hard  to  fill. 


JOSEPH  ASCHAM  BILLINGSLEY 

In  the  First  Series  of  "Lives  of  Virginia  Baptist  Min- 
isters" there  is  a  sketch  of  Elder  John  Aschani  BilHngs- 
ley ;  his  son's  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  page ;  some 
future  vokime  of  this  series  will  doubtless  contain  the 
name  and  record  of  Rev.  Joseph  F.  Billingsley  of  the 
third  generation.  Joseph  Ascham  Billingsley,  whose 
mother  was  Sally  Duerson,  was  born  at  "Salem,"  his 
father's  home  near  Spottsylvania  Court-House,  Virginia, 
February  11,  1817.  Spottsylvania  County  is  famous 
as  the  scene  of  the  persecution  of  Baptist  preachers  and 
the  bloody  battles  fought  on  her  soil.  In  this  county 
and  the  county  of  King  George  most  of  Mr.  Billings- 
ley's  life  was  spent.  Since  his  father's  home  was  "satu- 
rated with  Christian  influences,"  it  is  no  wonder  that  he 
united  with  the  church  when  quite  young.  When  the 
father  of  this  home  passed  away,  of  his  nine  children 
all  save  one  were  members  of  the  church.  At  first  young 
Joseph  was  a  member  of  the  old  historic  church.  Wal- 
ler's, in  Spottsylvania,  but  in  February,  1841,  he  moved 
his  membership  to  Massaponax  Church,  near  Fredericks- 
burg, since  that  was  nearer  his  home.  Here  he  was 
licensed  to  preach,  and  then,  in  December,  1842,  or- 
dained, while  the  next  year  he  became  pastor  of  this 
flock,  succeeding,  it  seems.  Elder  Lawrence  Battaile,  Jr. 
He  served  this  church  for  fourteen  years,  and  before  this 
period  had  expired  he  had  come  to  be  pastor  of  Waller's, 
Piney  Branch,  and  Salem  churches,  in  Spottsylvania 
County.  In  1851  he  was  called  to  the  care  of  Shiloh 
Church,  in  King  George  County.  In  1854,  Zoar  Church, 
Spottsylvania   County,    was   organized,    largely   through 

187 


188         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

his  influence.  He  served  this  church  and  Hanover,  King 
George  County,  until  a  year  or  so  before  his  death. 
Towards  the  end  of  his  life  he  was  supply  and  pastor 
of  Sharon,  Orange  County,  and  Hebron,  Spottsylvania. 
A  year  or  so  before  the  end  came  his  failing  health  made 
it  necessary  to  give  up  active  w^ork.  At  his  home,  near 
King  George  Court-House,  he  lived  the  last  thirty-five 
years  of  his  pilgrimage.  He  was  twice  married,  and 
was  the  father  of  sixteen  children.  His  first  wife  w^as 
Miss  Connor.  His  second  wife,  who  was  a  sister  of 
Rev.  Dr.  John  L.  Johnson,  now  of  Clinton,  Miss.,  sur- 
vived him.     His  death  occurred  on  April  12,  1893. 

This  sketch  may  appropriately  close  with  words 
spoken  concerning  the  work  and  character  of  Mr.  Bil- 
lingsley  by  two  men  who  knew  him  well.  Rev.  W.  J. 
Decker,  who  furnished  some  of  the  facts  used  above, 
and  who  was  baptized  by  him,  says  of  him :  "His  the- 
ology was  Pauline,  almost  hypercalvinistic.  The  writer, 
sitting  at  the  feet  of  Dr.  Boyce  and  others  in  the  Semi- 
nary, did  not  have  to  unlearn  his  theology.  It  had  been 
learned  in  early  life  under  the  ministry  of  this  man  of 
God,  his  pastor.  ...  In  his  day  the  temperance  cause 
came  to  be  agitated.  After  some  hesitation,  he  became 
its  advocate.  With  all  the  force  of  his  nature,  training 
and  Christian  convictions,  he  proclaimed  and  defended 
the  cause.  He  was  by  many  held  to  be  an  extremist. 
His  stand  for  temperance  brought  him  into  conflict  with 
some  of  his  brethren.  His  sensitive  nature  and  their 
opposition  caused  not  a  breach,  but  a  coolness  and  some 
estrangement.  To  him  the  situation  was  not  pleasant, 
for  he  loved  the  friendship  and  fellowship  of  his  breth- 
ren w^ith  an  intensity  born  of  the  spirit." 

Rev.  Dr.  George  W.  Beale  says :  "He  w^as  a  true  suc- 
cessor and  imitator  of  the  older  men  who  rode  on  horse- 
back fifty,  sixty  or  seventy  miles  to  meet  their  appoint- 


JOSEPH  ASCHAM  BILLINGSLEY         189 

ments  and  were  wont  to  hold  meetings  in  various  private 
houses  along  their  route  of  travel.  For  more  than  forty 
years  he  was  engaged  in  labors  on  widely  separated 
fields,  and  rode  in  heat  and  cold  from  lower  King  George 
to  upper  Spottsylvania.  .  .  .  The  religious  history  of 
King  George  County  for  the  past  fifty  years  could  not 
be  written  without  large  reference  to  his  work.  It  was 
in  the  dark  days  of  the  War  that  I  knew  a  score  of  men 
who  belonged  to  his  church  and  w^ere  reared  under  his 
ministry,  and  they  wore  their  religion  as  they  wore  their 
uniforms.  On  the  march  and  by  the  campfires  they  sang 
the  songs  of  Jesus  which  they  had  learned  in  old  Han- 
over Church.  The  snows  of  winter  did  not  cool  and  the 
heat  of  battle  did  not  dissolve  the  love  of  Christ  and 
His  cause  in  their  hearts.  Brother  Billingsley  held  opin- 
ions during  most  of  his  ministerial  life  adverse  to  the 
Associational  union  of  churches,  and  his  churches  were 
independent  and  separate  in  this  respect ;  nevertheless, 
they  did  not  fail  to  send  annually  a  liberal  gift  to  the 
cause  of  missions.  More  than  any  other  minister  I  have 
ever  known  was  J.  A.  Billingsley  a  devout  and  prayerful 
student  of  the  Bible ;  more  than  any  other  of  my  ac- 
quaintance had  he  imbibed  in  heart  and  memory  the  pre- 
cise language  wnth  which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  revealed 
in  New  Testament  and  the  Old  the  will  and  the  word 
of  God.     He  was  not  a  man  of  books,  but  of  The  Book." 


VOLUSCO  VAIDEN 

Volusco  Vaiden  was  born  in  New  Kent  County,  Vir- 
ginia. "He  possessed  a  vigorous,  active,  and  brilliant 
mind,  and  had  the  advantages  of  a  good  classical  edu- 
cation." Early  in  life  he  began  to  serve  the  public  as 
an  educator  and  as  a  speaker.  He  was  always  ready 
on  any  theme  of  general  interest,  and  his  rare  gifts  of 
wit  and  repartee  enabled  him  to  delight  and  charm  his 
audiences.  On  special  occasions,  when  he  was  at  his 
best,  he  often  rose  to  flights  of  oratory  and  eloquence. 
He  was  in  great  demand  for  Sunday  school  celebrations 
and  other  festive  occasions.  During  the  War  he  was 
elected  to  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates  and  here 
rendered  faithful  service.  The  most  valuable  work  of 
his  life  was  as  teacher  and  preacher.  He  established  the 
"Lofty  Retreat  Academy,"  a  popular  and  successful 
school,  and  was  for  many  years  its  principal.  Along 
with  his  teaching  he  carried  the  work  of  preaching.  For 
some  years  he  acted  as  supply  for  several  churches,  and 
when  Rev.  J.  H.  Barnes  resigned  at  Liberty  Church, 
New  Kent  County  (Dover  Association),  he  was  elected 
as  the  pastor.  This  was  about  1886.  It  seems  that,  hav- 
ing no  other  church,  he  preached  at  Liberty  every  Sun- 
day ;  this  was  an  unusual  thing  for  a  country  church  in 
Virginia.  While  the  Minutes  do  not  show  that  there 
was  increase  in  the  church's  membership,  there  may  be 
reasons  for  this  which  do  not  appear  in  the  Minutes ;  he 
baptized  from  year  to  year  people  not  a  few.  Some 
thought  that  in  his  sermons  he  indulged  too  freely  in  the 
ludicrous ;  at  times,  however,  he  was  "grandly  sublime," 
speaking  in  the  most  pathetic  manner.  "He  possessed  to 
the  full  the  noble  qualities  of  a  Virginia  gentleman — hos- 

190 


VOLUSCO  VAIDEN  191 

pitality,  kindness,  goodness,  charity,  courtesy,  veracity, 
integrity,  manliness,  chivalry — all  these  beautified  his 
noble  life."  He  died  at  his  residence.  Lofty  Retreat, 
Lanexa,  Virginia,  June  28,  1893,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year 
of  his  life.  This  sketch  is  in  the  main,  the  obituary  in 
the  Minutes  of  the  General  Association  for  1893. 


JAMES  M.  DILLARD 

James  M.  Dillard  was  born  in  Amherst  County,  Vir- 
ginia, February  14,  1816,  and  died  of  paralysis  at  his 
home  at  Tye  River  Depot,  Nelson  County,  Virginia, 
October  25,  1893.  In  early  life  he  made  good  use  of 
the  scant  educational  advantages  he  had.  He  grew  up  a 
farmer  and  was  quite  successful.  He  had  a  strong  mind 
and  read  widely.  He  was  active  in  advancing  the  in- 
terests of  his  community.  Of  an  inquiring  mind,  he 
gave  what  time  he  could  to  study.  Little  did  he  think 
when  thus  active  in  cultivating  and  enriching  his  mind 
of  the  work  the  Lord  had  for  him  to  do. 

In  his  fortieth  year  he  professed  faith  in  Christ  and 
joined  St.  Stephen's  Baptist  Church,  near  his  home,  be- 
ing baptized  by  Rev.  Peter  C.  Hoge  in  Tye  River.  He 
was  a  man  of  decided  convictions,  and  when  he  under- 
stood what  his  duty  was  did  not  hesitate  to  go  forward 
to  its  discharge.  This  spirit  prompted  him  when  he  be- 
came a  Christian,  hence  his  promptness  in  commencing 
work  for  his  Saviour.  So  successful  was  he  in  conduct- 
ing prayer  meetings  and  winning  souls  to  Christ  that  he 
earnestly  desired  a  wider  field.  He  was  thus  gradually 
led  into  the  ministry.  He  was  very  sociable  and  loved 
to  have  his  friends  share  his  home  with  him.  Strangers 
he  never  turned  from  his  door,  and  the  poor  found  in 
him  a  true  friend. 

Two  years  after  his  conversion  he  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry.  The  presbytery  was  composed  of  Revs.  T.  W. 
Roberts,  P.  C.  Hoge,  and  P.  S.  Henson,  the  latter 
preaching  the  sermon.  His  first  charge  was  Piney  River 
Church,  of  which  he  was  pastor  for  twenty  years.     Soon 

192 


JAMES  M.  DILLARD  193 

after  commencing  his  work  there  he  was  called  to  the 
pastorate  of  St.  Stephen's,  and  was  pastor  there  for 
twenty  years.  He  served  also  Walnut  Grove,  Fair- 
mount,  Mineral  Spring,  and  Ariel,  all  in  Nelson  County, 
and  in  Amherst  County  Piney  Mount  and  Ebenezer. 
His  last  pastorate  was  Mountain  Plain  Church,  Albe- 
marle County. 

He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Mary 
Mundy,  of  Amherst  County.  They  had  ten  children, 
nine  of  whom  still  live.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Lou 
Watts,  of  Amherst.  She  passed  away  several  years  be- 
fore he  died. 

W.  J.  Shipman. 


WILLIAM  M.  RODGERS 

William  M.  Rodgers  was  born  near  Farmville,  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  educated- in  the  classical  and  theological 
departments  of  Hampden-Sidney  College.  He  was  for 
forty  years  a  Baptist  minister,  being  pastor  at  one  time 
of  the  Upper  Banister  and  Mount  Ararat  churches  in 
Pittsylvania  County,  Roanoke  Association.  During  the 
later  years  of  his  life  he  did  not  have  charge  of  any 
churches,  more  because  of  the  loss  or  failure  of  his  voice 
than  for  any  other  reason.  He  did  much  preaching  at 
schoolhouses  and  private  residences  during  his  later  life. 
He  was  scrupulously  honest,  earnest,  sincere,  and  true; 
no  one  could  say  aught  against  him.  His  life  was  useful 
in  very  many  respects,  "a  sermon  of  towering  impor- 
tance." He  died  January  25,  1894,  in  the  seventy-eighth 
year  of  his  age. 


ALDRIDGE  MADISON  GRIMSLEY 

In  June,  1826,  Rappahannock  County,  which  was  then 
a  part  of  Culpeper,  gave  birth  to  Aldridge  Madison 
Grimsley.  The  Rappahannock  River  and  its  tributaries 
water  the  county,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  Mr. 
Grimsley  was  at  work  as  a  miller.  In  the  same  year, 
1848,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Amanda  Smith,  of  his  na- 
tive county.  Of  this  union  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters were  born,  all  of  whom,  except  Milton  Robert,  who 
became  a  beloved  and  useful  minister  of  the  gospel,  died 
young.  After  twelve  years  of  married  life  his  wife  was 
taken  from  him.  In  1862  he  was  married  to  Miss  Annie 
E.  Lear.  She  became  the  mother  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  In  1859  Mr.  Grimsley  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  until  1862  was  engaged  in  colporteur  work, 
a  part  of  the  time  in  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 
His  work  as  pastor  and  preacher  covered  a  period  of 
some  thirty-five  years,  during  which  time  he  served  the 
Orleans  and  Enon  churches  in  the  Potomac  Association, 
and  Salem,  Mount  Carmel,  Graves  Chapel,  Thornton's 
Gap,  and  "F.  T.,"  in  the  Shiloh.  Perhaps  in  the  same 
length  of  time  no  man  "married  more  couples,  preached 
more  funerals,  or  traveled  more  miles  by  private  convey- 
ance to  fill  appointments."  Concerning  ]\Ir.  Grimsley, 
Rev.  Dr.  E.  W.  Winfrey  wrote  soon  after  his  death,  as 
follows:  "In  some  things  he  was  a  remarkable  man. 
His  physical  frame  was  of  no  small  proportions ;  his 
features  were  large ;  his  countenance  was  open,  frank, 
and  expressive  of  cordiality  and  all  good  feeling.  He 
understood  the  people  among  whom  he  spent  his  life — 
not  only  knowing  them  by  name  and  face,  but  entering 
into  their  thoughts  and  feelings  and  giving  them  freely 

194 


ALDRIDGE  MADISON  GRIMSLEY         195 

and  heartily  his  counsel  and  sympathy.  .  .  .  There 
was  never  a  day  too  cold  nor  a  night  too  stormy  for  him 
to  visit  the  poor  and  suffering.  His  people  understood 
him.  enjoyed  him,  loved  him.  Around  the  fireside,  on 
the  court-green,  in  the  pulpit — anywhere  and  everywhere 
— and  whether  in  the  narration  of  new  or  familiar  anec- 
dote, or  in  innocent  pleasantry  of  conversation,  or  in 
serious  discourse,  they  heard  him  with  delight.  Kind- 
ness appears  to  have  been  his  most  pronounced  trait  of 
character.  He  will  be  long  remembered  as  a  real  friend 
and  helper  of  the  poor.  They  were  his  especial  care. 
A  short  while  before  his  death,  a  neighbor,  who  de- 
pended for  himself  and  family  upon  the  proceeds  of  a 
small  mill,  was  brought  almost  to  despair  by  a  lingering 
sickness  which  rendered  him  unable  to  work.  Brother 
Grimsley,  volunteering  his  services,  went  day  after  day 
to  the  mill,  and,  taking  up  again  the  occupation  of  his 
boyhood,  kept  his  neighbor's  family  from  want.  .  .  . 
When  in  his  prime  and  under  the  influence  of  deep  feel- 
ing, his  voice  must  have  reminded  one  of  the  blast  of  a 
trumpet — loud,  full,  and  clear.  Rhetoric  and  grammar 
and  homiletics  were  held  by  him  to  be  altogether  subor- 
dinate to  the  requirements  of  sound  teaching  and  saving 
impression.  .  .  .  That  in  the  country  where  he  had 
always  been  known  large  congregations  loved  to  hear 
him  preach  is  evidence  that  his  ministry  was  one  of 
power."  After  an  illness  which  was  rather  brief,  on  Sat- 
urday, April  28,  1894,  he  "passed  into  the  spirit  world." 
The  following  Monday  many  hundreds  attended  his  fun- 
eral, the  sermon  on  this  occasion  being  preached  by  his 
friend,  Rev.  S.  M.  Athey,  from  the  words :  "To  me  to 
live  is  Christ  and  to  die  is  gain,"  Phil.  1  :21. 


THEODORE  WHITFIELD 

Virginia  claims  this  minister  of  the  gospel  because  he 
gave  the  last  seven  years  of  his  life  to  a  Richmond  pas- 
torate, and  because  his  ashes  rest  beneath  Virginia's  sod. 
In  Mississippi,  January  31,  1834,  at  "Magnolia,"  the 
home  of  his  father,  Rev.  Benjamin  Whitfield,  his  mother 
being  Miss  Elizabeth  Hatch,  of  Alabama,  he  first  saw 
the  light.  His  descent,  from  a  long  line  of  ancestors  in 
this  country  and  England  devoted  to  the  ministry,  and 
the  atmosphere  of  refinement  and  culture  in  the  home 
of  his  childhood,  had  much  to  do  in  making  him  the  man 
he  came  to  be.  Next  door  to  his  father's  home  was  the 
church  that  had  been  built  by  his  grandfather;  here  at 
the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  converted  and  baptized.  In 
1852  he  became  a  student  at  Chapel  Hill,  entering  the 
sophomore  class  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 
He  took  rank  among  his  fellow-students  by  reason  of 
his  ability  as  a  speaker  and  by  his  service  in  the  choir 
and  the  glee  club,  and  graduated  in  1855.  His  plan  to 
be  a  lawyer  came  to  an  end  while  he  was  on  a  pleasure 
trip  to  New  Orleans  with  a  gay  party  of  young  people. 
He  left  his  companions,  returned  home  and  urged  his 
mother  to  help  him  in  his  new  resolve  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel. Newton  Center,  Mass.,  gave  him  his  theological 
training,  and  as  he  returned  home,  in  passing  through 
North  Carolina,  he  saw  for  the  first  time  Miss  Morehead, 
who  afterwards  became  his  wife. 

His  first  pastorate  was  at  Danville,  Ky.,  where  the 
Baptist  cause  was  then  weak.  A  similar  condition  ob- 
tained in  Aberdeen,  Miss.,  his  next  field  of  labor.  Nor 
were  matters  in  much  better  shape  in  his  two  succeeding 
pastorates,  Greensboro  and  Goldsboro,  N.  C.     In  Aber- 

196 


THEODORE  WHITFIELD  197 

deen  he  had  large  numbers  of  colored  people  members 
of  his  church.  The  dark  war  cloud  was  now  gathering, 
and  in  Greensboro  he  gave  much  time  to  the  sick  in  the 
army,  also  teaching  to  help  support  his  family.  In  1869 
he  became  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Merid- 
ian, Miss.,  and  before  he  left  this  city,  to  work  in  Mis- 
sissippi Baptist  College,  he  had  built  a  new  meeting-house 
and  greatly  enlarged  the  congregations.  He  was  next 
Professor  of  Greek  and  then  superintendent  of  the  State 
Blind  Institute  at  Jackson.  He  now  refused  a  flattering 
call  to  Kansas  City,  because  he  feared  that  his  being  a 
Southern  man  might  cause  a  split  in  the  church,  and  re- 
turned to  North  Carolina,  where,  after  a  few  months 
given  to  protracted  meeting  w^ork,  he  accepted  a  call  to 
the  church  in  Charlotte.  Next  Goldsboro  claimed  him  a 
second  time  as  pastor,  and  then  he  heeded  the  call  of  the 
Newberne  Church.  It  was  from  here  that  he  came  to 
Richmond,  Virginia,  to  what  was  his  last,  and  some 
think  his  best,  work,  the  charge  of  the  Fulton  Baptist 
Church.  Care  for  this  field  became  the  "passion  of  his 
life,"  and  here  he  labored  almost  without  intermission 
for  rest  and  after  his  strength  began  to  fail. 

He  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
Wake  Forest  College,  a  degree  of  which  he  was  indeed 
worthy,  for  he  was  a  theologian  of  first  rank  and  an  able 
preacher.  While  his  voice  w^as  not  strong,  he  was  an 
effective  preacher.  He  was  faithful  in  his  preparation 
for  the  pulpit  and  his  ability  to  quote  at  length  from  the 
Bible  was  unusual.  His  brethren  in  the  ministry  in  Rich- 
mond deferred  to  him  in  matters  of  exposition,  counting 
him  sound  and  able.  As  a  pastor  he  was  laborious,  lov- 
ing, and  wise.  On  more  than  one  field  he  brought  things 
to  pass,  healed  dissensions,  built  church  houses,  and  won 
the  deep  affection  of  his  people.  Once,  in  Richmond,  in 
a  pastoral  call,  he  found  husband  and  wife  both  sick  in 


198         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

bed.  The  family  had  just  moved  into  the  house  and 
things  were  not  in  running  order ;  the  pastor  took  off  his 
coat,  went  to  work,  put  up  a  stove,  going  to  the  store  to 
get  a  necessary  piece  of  pipe,  and  got  things  in  good 
shape  before  he  stopped.  Not  only  as  preacher  and  pas- 
tor but  as  a  writer  he  did  valuable  service;  indeed,  Dr. 
Hatcher  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  his  finest  work  was 
with  his  pen.  His  articles  for  the  press  were  marked 
by  vigorous  thought,  strong  argument,  and  purity  of 
English. 

After  a  long  illness  he  passed  away  at  his  residence, 
17  West  Grace  Street,  Richmond,  May  28,  1894.  The 
funeral,  which  took  place  at  Grace  Street  Baptist  Church, 
and  in  which  these  Baptist  preachers,  L.  R.  Thornhill, 
George  Cooper,  W.  W.  Landrum,  G.  F.  Williams,  W.  E. 
Hatcher,  and  Henry  McDonald,  took  part,  was  attended 
by  a  very  large  crowd  of  people.  And  this  funeral  bears 
the  distinction  of  being  the  first  funeral  of  a  Richmond 
Baptist  pastor ;  others  pastors  had  ceased  to  be  pastors 
in  this  city  when  their  end  came.  Attention  was  called 
to  this  fact  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Hutson.  Dr.  Whitfield  was 
survived  by  his  widow  and  three  children. 


J.  W.  M.  WILLIAMS 

The  life  work  of  J.  W.  M.  Williams  was  done  in  Bal- 
timore as  pastor  for  forty-three  years  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church,  yet  since  he  was  born  in  Virginia  and  had 
here  his  first  and  second  pastorates  he  has  place  in  this 
volume.  He  was  born  in  Portsmouth,  Virginia,  April  7, 
1820,  his  parents,  Edward  Williams  and  Catharine 
Owen,  being  noted  for  sterling  piety  and  active  interest 
in  all  good  works.  After  attending  a  local  academy,  in 
1838  he  entered  what  is  now  known  as  Richmond  Col- 
lege. While  a  student  there  he  wrote  out  a  set  of  reso- 
lutions for  the  guidance  of  his  life;  the  last  resolution 
read  thus :  "Quench  every  rising  wish  for  man's  appro- 
bation." He  was  next  a  student  at  Columbian  College, 
graduating  there  in  1843;  twenty-three  years  later  his 
alma  mater  conferred  on  him  the  honorary  degree  of 
D.  D.  His  ordination  to  the  ministry  took  place  at 
the  Cumberland  Street  Church,  Norfolk  (for  which 
church  he  had  "supplied"  about  a  year),  February  27, 
1844.  On  October  3  of  the  same  year  he  entered  New- 
ton Theological  Seminary,  and  on  December  22,  1846, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  V.  J.  Read  at  "Jeffersonia," 
Northampton  County,  Virginia.  This  union  lasted  for 
forty-four  years,  and  was  a  union  indeed.  "Kinnie 
Read,"  as  he  lovingly  called  his  wife,  was  his  wise  helper 
through  his  life.  She  was  a  woman  of  mental  vigor  and 
deep  piety,  and  her  heart  was  committed  to  all  the  work 
of  the  church  and  the  denomination.  A  motto  of  her 
husband's  was :  "By  the  grace  of  God  and  Kinnie  Read 
I  am  what  I  am." 

His  first  pastorate  was  of  the  Jerusalem  (Southamp- 
ton  County)    and   Smithfield    (Isle  of  Wight   County) 

199 


200         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

churches.  They  were  forty  miles  apart  and  he  traveled 
one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  a  month  to  fill  his  appoint- 
ments. He  took  up  collections  for  missions,  a  thing  that 
these  churches  had  never  known  before,  and  saw  two 
commodious  meeting-houses  erected.  In  1848  he  became 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Lynchburg.  He  wielded 
an  influence,  not  only  in  Lynchburg,  but  in  all  the  region 
around,  many  being  led  to  Christ  under  his  preaching. 
A  visit  to  Baltimore,  to  which  city  he  went  to  solicit 
funds  for  a  church  edifice  in  Lynchburg,  resulted  in  his 
being  called  to  the  Monumental  City.  His  pastorate  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Baltimore  began  January  1, 
1851,  and  continued  until  January,  1894,  when  he  re- 
signed and  was  made  pastor  emeritus ;  this  relationship 
continued  until  Tuesday,  August  28,  1894,  the  date  of 
his  death.  To  tell  the  story  of  these  forty-odd  years 
with  any  completeness  would  be  to  give  the  history  of 
Baltimore  Baptists  for  this  period.  When  Mr.  Williams 
went  to  Baltimore  the  First  Church  was  housed  in  the 
"Round  Top  Church,"  an  imposing  edifice  that  stood  on 
the  corner  of  Sharp  and  Lombard  Streets.  It  was  mod- 
eled after  the  Pantheon  in  Rome,  was  for  years  one  of 
the  city's  landmarks,  and  had  a  seating  capacity  of  about 
1,700.  Yet  the  new  pastor  found  that  this  noble  struc- 
ture had  its  drawbacks ;  the  acoustics  of  the  audience- 
room  were  so  bad  that  the  preacher  was  like  one  speak- 
ing to  a  congregation  on  the  other  side  of  the  Blue  Ridge 
Mountains,  for  those  in  the  center  of  the  house  could 
not  hear  unless  the  voice  was  on  a  high  key.  A  debt 
also  rested  on  the  property.  When  Mr.  Williams  went 
to  Baltimore  there  were  only  two  self-sustaining  white 
Baptist  churches  in  the  city  and  the  other  Baptist  pastors 
were  George  F.  Adams,  Richard  Fuller,  and  Franklin 
Wilson.  He  began  his  work  on  a  salary  of  $1,000.  He 
found  the  church  connected  with  neither  the  North  nor 


J.  W.  M.  WILLIAMS  201 

the  South  in  its  missionary  activities,  the  meml)ers  being 
expected  to  send  their  gifts  to  the  Richmond  Board  or 
to  the  Missionary  Union,  as  they  might  elect.  The  new 
pastor  took  the  responsibiHty.  After  taking  a  collection 
for  missions,  the  new  pastor  asked  that  he  be  appointed 
as  a  delegate  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention;  thus 
the  affiliation  of  the  "Old  First"  was  settled  forever.  He 
became  a  leader,  not  only  among  Baltimore,  but  also 
among  Southern,  Baptists,  nor  was  he  unknown  or  with- 
out influence  among  his  Northern  brethren.  The  "Round 
Top"  having  become  a  downtown  church,  a  move  was 
deemed  wise,  and  the  new  structure,  on  Townsend  Street 
(near  Fremont),  was  dedicated  January  6,  1878.  Amidst 
many  ups  and  downs  in  all  these  years,  both  at  the  old 
site  and  at  the  new.  Dr.  Williams  kept  his  grasp  on  the 
situation,  never  losing  his  faith  in  God  and  his  church. 
He  was  a  patient,  laborious,  loving  pastor  and  faithful 
in  his  sermon  preparation.  He  was  blessed  with  a  vig- 
orous constitution,  and  in  his  last  years,  with  his  white 
hair  and  beard  and  sweet  smile,  was  a  handsome  man. 
Before  his  active  work  came  to  an  end  he  used  to  say 
that  the  church  he  then  served  did  not  call  him,  but  that 
he  called  them,  and  this  was  literally  true,  for  only  one 
was  left  of  those  who  had  been  in  the  church  when  Dr. 
Williams  had  taken  charge.  Dr.  Williams'  death  took 
place  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Gore,  at 
Chapel  Hill,  North  Carolina. 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG 

John  Cralle  Long  was  born  in  Campbell  County,  Vir- 
ginia, November  28,  1833,  and  died  at  Charlottesville, 
Virginia,  August  6,  1894.  He  was  the  son  of  Armi- 
stead  Long  and  his  wife,  Calista  Cralle.  His  father  was 
the  son  of  Colonel  Armistead  Long,  of  Culpeper  County, 
Virginia,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Burgess  Ball,  the  latter 
being  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Burgess  Ball,  a  friend  and 
near  kinsman  of  Washington  and  an  officer  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary Army.  John's  father  was  educated  at  the  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  West  Point,  but  resigned  before  gradu- 
ation and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Campbell  County.  Here 
John  was  born,  but  when  he  was  three  years  old  his 
father  moved  with  his  family  to  Union  County,  Ken- 
tucky, making  the  whole  journey  in  vehicles  and  on 
horseback.  Two  uncles,  older  brothers  of  his  father, 
settled  in  the  same  county,  the  three  families  occupying 
neighboring  farms,  on  one  of  which  was  the  White  Sul- 
phur Springs,  a  well-known  watering-place  of  those 
days.  Here  John  enjoyed  a  brief  but  happy  cliildhood. 
Often  would  he  wander  care  free  and  joyous  along  the 
streams,  or  in  the  wild  and  almost  unbroken  forests 
which  surrounded  his  father's  home.  "Again,"  he  wrote 
in  a  letter  some  years  afterwards,  "a  brother,  two  years 
my  senior,  and  myself  would  seek  the  shade  of  a  tree 
standing  all  alone  in  a  grassy  field  and  read  some  book 
of  war  or  love.  From  these  readings  both  of  us  thor- 
oughly imbibed  the  spirit  of  chivaliy,  and  many  a  tilt 
have  we  had  together,  our  lances  long,  tapering  weeds. 
The  gun  and  the  fishing  rod  also  contributed  to  our  en- 
joyments. Nor  were  the  more  elegant  accomplishments 
of  life  neglected.     Boys  as  we  were — very  children — we 

202 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  203 

went  much  into  society,  and  with  older  children  mingled 
in  the  dance — not  the  wild  whirling  of  the  uncultivated, 
but  the  dance  of  the  most  approved  masters." 

For  the  education  of  the  children  of  the  three  house- 
holds a  tutor  was  engaged,  a  Mr.  F.  K.  Heisley  from 
Pennsylvania,  who  had  been  a  college  professor,  but 
who  for  some  youthful  indiscretion  had  lost  his  place. 
He  was  an  excellent  teacher,  and  a  few  years  later  re- 
turned with  the  Longs  to  Virginia.  Among  John's 
schoolmates  and  constant  companions  was  a  younger  sis- 
ter, Annie,  who  recalls  that  he  was  industrious  and 
learned  fast  and,  in  her  eyes,  he  appeared  to  know  every- 
thing. 

Two  incidents  of  this  period  illustrate  the  boy's  high 
spirit  and  strict  sense  of  justice.  One  evening,  at  a  hunt- 
ing camp,  to  which  the  lads  from  the  farm  had  strayed, 
one  of  the  hunters  thought  to  amuse  himself  by  prod- 
ding at  John  with  "an  Arkansas  toothpick."  The  boy 
resented  this  invasion  of  his  dignity  and  said :  "You  are 
not  a  gentleman  or  you  would  not  so  treat  a  little  boy." 
To  carry  out  the  joke  the  man  pretended  to  be  insulted 
and  challenged  the  child  to  a  duel.  The  challenge  was 
at  once  accepted,  shotguns  being  chosen  as  the  weapons 
and  the  next  evening  as  the  time.  The  boy  had  no  idea 
but  to  fight,  and  when  one  of  the  colored  servants  sug- 
gested that  he  might  be  killed,  answered,  "Yes,  but  what 
is  life  without  honor?"  He  contrived  to  elude  the  fam- 
ily and  presented  himself  at  the  appointed  place  armed, 
not  only  with  a  shotgun,  but  with  a  huge  empty  pistol 
that  an  older  brother  had  put  into  his  hands.  When  the 
hunter  treated  the  matter  as  a  joke  he  drew  the  pistol 
on  him  and  forced  him  to  make  an  humble  apology. 
This  incident  gave  the  lad  quite  a  name  among  the  Ken- 
tucky bloods. 


204         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

On  one  occasion  when,  in  John's  opinion,  Mr.  Heisley 
had  administered  punishment  unfairly,  he  snatched  the 
ferrule  out  of  his  hands  and  tossed  it  out  of  the  window 
and  declined  to  go  out  and  get  it.  He  declared  that 
when  he  was  grown  he  was  going  to  whip  Mr.  Heisley, 
but  when  he  did  grow  up  he  remembered  with  great 
esteem  this  teacher  of  his  early  days. 

In  1841,  while  the  family  was  yet  in  Kentucky,  John's 
mother  died.  She  was  a  devout  Christian,  a  Methodist, 
and  although  he  was  only  eight  years  old  at  the  time  of 
her  death,  she  seems  to  have  greatly  influenced  his  char- 
acter and  life,  and  doubtless  it  was  from  her  that  he 
derived  some  of  his  noblest  qualities.  Years  later  he 
wrote :  "When  my  mother  died — she  is  said  to  have 
been  a  beautiful  woman,  and  as  pure  and  noble  as  she 
was  beautiful — the  sun  of  my  boyish  joy  was  set.  I  can 
even  now  recall  some  of  the  particulars  of  that  dark  day; 
and  for  years  after  I  could  not  hear  her  name  mentioned 
without  tears." 

After  the  family  returned  to  Virginia,  in  1843,  the 
growing  boy  had  as  his  teachers  in  Lynchburg  the  Misses 
Gordon,  and  in  the  country  his  own  older  brother,  Armi- 
stead,  who  was  afterwards  to  be  a  gallant  Confederate 
general,  and  the  author  of  a  life  of  R.  E.  Lee.  When 
he  was  only  twelve  years  old  John  entered  the  printing 
office  of  the  Lynchburg  Republican,  and  a  little  later, 
still  as  a  printer,  went  to  Fannville.  Here  most  impor- 
tant events  in  the  youth's  life  took  place;  he  became  a 
Baptist;  he  felt  called  to  preach.  Though  not  attending 
preaching  at  the  Baptist  Church,  he  came  to  be  a  mem- 
ber of  a  Bible  class  at  that  church  taught  by  Mr.  Wil- 
liam A.  Armistead,  a  man  of  earnestness,  intelligence, 
and  honesty  of  mind.  This  teacher  does  not  seem  to 
have  used  any  direct  means  to  make  a  Baptist  of  young 
Long,  but  the  silent  personal  influence  drew  the  youth 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  205 

that  way.  A  remark  some  boy  had  before  this  made  now 
set  the  young  printer  to  thinking  and  to  studying  the 
New  Testament.  The  boy's  remark  was :  "The  Bap- 
tists do  not  use  the  same  Bible  that  other  people  do." 
Our  young  friend  had  answered :  "What  you  say  can 
hardly  be  true.  There  must  be  some  mistake  about  it." 
This  remark  first  turned  his  thoughts  towards  the  Bap- 
tists. Next  came  the  influence  of  his  Sunday  school 
teacher.  Finally  he  did  not  care  or  dare  to  go  against 
what  appeared  to  be  the  teachings  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. So,  although  none  of  his  people  were  Baptists, 
in  his  nineteenth  year  he  became  one,  guided  by  a  "sort 
of  military  respect  for  authority,"  not  knowing  "how  to 
disobey  what  seemed  to  be  positive  orders."  Years 
afterwards,  in  a  tract,  "On  Being  a  Baptist,"  he  wrote 
thus  about  this  important  event  in  his  life:  "I  felt  that 
whatsoever  the  New  Testament  teaches  by  plain  precept 
or  by  reasonable  inference  ought  to  be  the  law  of  my  life. 
And  years  have  only  served  to  strengthen  the  conviction 
that  that  feeling  was  right."  He  was  baptized  by  Rev. 
William  A.  Tyree. 

In  Farmville,  and  about  the  time  that  he  became  a 
Baptist,  he  decided  to  give  his  life  to  the  gospel  minis- 
try. Soon  after  this  purpose  was  formed  he  entered 
Richmond  College  in  the  fall  of  1852.  During  his  life 
here  he  was  intimate,  among  others,  with  C.  C.  Chaplin 
and  J.  W.  McCown.  These  three  received  from  their 
fellow-students  the  title  of  "The  Triumvirate,"  a  name 
to  be  credited  rather  to  college  rivalries  and  animosities 
than  to  the  callow  wit  of  college  fledglings.  "Years  aft- 
erwards, when  C.  C.  Chaplin  passed  to  his  reward,  J.  C. 
Long  wrote  for  the  Religious  Herald  a  tribute  to  his  col- 
lege friend,  calling  it  'A  Sprig  of  Acacia.'  "  And  when 
J.  C.  Long  died  the  same  paper  contained  an  article  from 
the  pen  of  Dr.  McCown,  the  last  survivor  of  "The  Tri- 


206         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

umvirate,"  called  "Another  Sprig  of  Acacia,"  which  told 
tenderly  and  graciously  of  the  character  and  work  of 
the  friend  who  had  passed  away. 

In  1856  Mr.  Long  graduated  at  Richmond  College, 
his  fellow-graduates  being  William  F.  Fox,  H.  H.  Har- 
ris, George  M.  Morris,  and  William  B.  Meredith.  He 
was  elected  tutor  for  the  college,  and  this  choice  suggests 
that  thus  early  there  was  in  this  young  man  elements 
and  traits  which  were  eventually  to  make  him  a  great 
teacher.  But  he  had  decided  to  be  a  preacher,  nor  was 
he  to  be  diverted  from  this  purpose.  During  his  course 
as  student  and  tutor  he  had  frequently  preached,  and 
.after  a  year  the  tutorship  was  given  up  and  he  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry  at  Grace  Street  Baptist  Church 
in  Richmond  on  July  5,  1857.  The  ordination  sermon 
was  preached  by  Dr.  R.  B.  C.  Howell,  and  Dr.  Jeter 
delivered  the  charge.  Rev.  J.  W.  McCown  was  ordained 
at  the  same  time. 

In  the  fall  of  1857,  at  the  instance  of  Governor 
Broome,  of  Florida,  Mr.  Long  accepted  a  position  as 
teacher  in  the  Florida  State  Seminary  at  Tallahassee. 
Here  he  spent  one  session,  serving  also  for  a  part  of  this 
time  as  pastor  of  the  Tallahassee  Baptist  Church.  Al- 
though not  yet  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  seems  to 
have  made  a  fine  impression  as  a  preacher,  and  promi- 
nent citizens,  including  the  Governor,  were  often  found 
in  his  congregation.  At  the  close  of  the  session  he  was 
urged  to  remain  longer,  but  he  was  eager  to  devote  him- 
self wholly  to  preaching  the  gospel.  He,  accordingly, 
at  substantial  pecuniary  sacrifice,  resigned  his  Florida 
position  and  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Cumberland 
Street  Baptist  Church  at  Norfolk,  now  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  that  city.  He  began  his  labors  there  in 
the  early  fall  of  1858,  and  on  October  19,  1858,  was 
married  to  Miss  Josephine   Hardin  Ragland,   of  Rich- 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  207 

mond.  This  young  lady  was  one  of  a  group  of  sisters 
distinguished  alike  for  their  intellectual  gifts,  personal 
charm,  and  their  deep  religious  life.  Here  began  a  union 
of  loving  companionship  and  mutual  happiness,  which 
was  not  broken  by  the  hand  of  death  until  after  thirty- 
one  years,  when  Mrs.  Long  died  on  December  1,  1889. 

The  Norfolk  pastorate  was  not  in  all  respects  a  happy 
one.  The  congregation  was  small  and  composed  mostly 
of  very  poor  people.  It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty 
that  they  could  pay  even  the  greater  part  of  the  small 
salary  promised  their  pastor,  and  he  was  finally  forced 
to  resign  in  May,  1861,  because  of  their  inability  to  sup- 
port him.  But,  notwithstanding  the  burden  of  poverty 
under  which  the  church  labored  at  this  time,  the  min- 
istry of  Mr.  Long  seems  not  to  have  been  without  effect. 
By  the  end  of  the  second  year  of  his  pastorate  the  mem- 
bership, which  had  before  been  steadily  decreasing,  had 
increased  from  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  to  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five,  and  the  congregations  were  larger 
than  they  had  been  for  years. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  War  Mr.  Long  settled  his  fam- 
ily on  a  fami  in  Goochland  County,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  and  preached  for  several  country  churches, 
being  absent  for  some  months,  however,  in  1863,  in 
Danville,  where  he  conducted  a  private  school  as  a  means 
of  support.  As  the  churches  to  which  he  ministered  from 
his  Goochland  home  were  Fire  Creek,  Powhatan  County, 
and  Mount  Tabor,  Amelia  County,  geography  shows 
clearly  that  he  had  long  journeys  to  make  riding  or 
driving  over  eastern  Virginia  roads  to  meet  his  appoint- 
ments. A  country  pastorate  in  eastern  Virginia  has 
many  blessed  comforts  and  compensations,  but  it  is  not 
without  such  hardships  as  exposure  to  cold  and  inclem- 
ent weather.  These  words  may  suggest  scenes  in  this 
stage  of  Mr.  Long's  life.     Nevertheless,  there  were  none 


208         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

of  his  pastorates  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  recalHng 
with  greater  pleasure. 

About  the  close  of  the  War  Mr.  Long  moved  to 
Scottsville,  Virginia,  and  became  the  pastor  of  the 
Scottsville  and  Hardware  churches,  a  village  and  coun- 
try church  being  here  united  in  one  field.  It  was  at 
this  period  that  Mr.  Long  began  those  visits  to  "Ver- 
dant Lawn,"  the  hospitable  home  of  Rev.  William  P. 
Parish,  near  Charlottesville,  which  were  to  continue  for 
so  many  years,  and  which  were  to  be  to  him  such  a  joy 
and  delight. 

Fortunately,  we  have  his  own  account  of  his  first  visit 
to  this  home,  where  friends  in  council  held  such  high 
and  noble  converse,  and  where  beautiful  Virginia  hos- 
pitahty  reigned.  Describing  this  visit,  he  says :  "It 
has  now  been  more  than  twenty-five  years  since  I  first 
visited  this  old  Virginia  home.  I  had  become  a  pastor 
in  the  country,  preaching  alternately  at  Scottsxille  and 
at  the  Hardware  Church,  up  among  the  mountains. 
Once  in  a  while,  when  I  went  to  the  Hardware  Church, 
I  rode  on  to  Charlottesville  to  see  John  Hart  and  C.  H. 
Toy,  who  were  then  there  in  the  Albemarle  Institute, 
and  other  friends,  to  get  the  cobwebs  brushed  from  my 
mind,  and  to  have  a  few  hours  of  talk  with  men  who 
knew  well  what  talk  is  for.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
I  overtook  William  P.  Parish  going  home.  His  ruddy 
face,  his  snow-white  hair,  his  strong  and  vigorous  frame, 
his  hearty  and  cheerful  voice,  all  impressed  me.  He 
called  out  to  me  from  a  distance,  turning  on  his  horse: 
'What  injury  have  I  done  you  that  you  do  not  come  to 
see  me?'  When  I  next  went  to  my  Hardware  appoint- 
ment I  found  Mr.  Parish  there  before  me,  and  I  went 
home  with  him.  More  than  any  one  I  ever  knew,  he 
had  the  art  of  making  a  man  feel  comfortable  in  his 
house.     There  was  no  overdoing  the  matter,  but  some- 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  209 

how  he  always  made  me  feel  that  I  was  doing  him  the 
greatest  kindness  to  come  to  see  him.  I  not  only  felt 
free ;  I  felt  rich.  For  the  time,  I  seemed  to  be  the  owner 
of  a  large  house  and  1,200  acres  of  land;  everything 
about  me  was  mine  to  use  and  enjoy.  He  had  traveled, 
had  seen  many  men ;  he  talked  well,  and  loved  to  talk, 
and  he  let  his  guests  talk,  too.  In  these  early  fall  days, 
as  always  in  the  fall,  the  past  comes  back  to  me,  and 
memory,  sw^eeping  over  a  broad  field,  pauses  and  lingers 
in  the  Parish  household  as  I  first  knew  it.  Every  mem- 
ber of  the  family  is  recalled,  and  the  family  as  a  whole. 
If  it  could  have  continued  just  as  it  was  then!  If  the 
years  were  not  fated  to  slip  away  and  to  change  so 
many  things  and  to  bear  so  many  things  away  with 
them !" 

In  1865,  when  Virginia  Baptists  met.  they  found  that 
in  the  desolation  which  had  swept  over  the  South  their 
college,  Richmond  College,  had  been  almost  wiped  out 
of  existence.  Dr.  Robert  Ryland  made  this  character- 
istic report  as  president  of  the  college:  "It  is  a  short 
story,  brethren — and  is  soon  told — our  endowment  was 
all  in  Confederate  bonds — we  have  the  bonds — you  know 
wdiat  they  are  worth."  The  situation  seemed  desperate. 
Upon  motion  of  Mr.  Long,  a  committee,  consisting  of 
T.  G.  Jones,  A.  Broaddus,  W.  E.  Hatcher,  J.  O.  Turpin, 
and  W.  R.  McDonald,  was  appointed  to  report  on  the 
situation.  The  General  Association  met  in  Richmond, 
June  7-11,  1866.  At  this  time  John  C.  Long  secured  a 
meeting  of  some  of  the  alumni  of  the  college.  This  gath- 
ering appointed  Mr.  Long,  George  B.  Taylor,  and  H.  H. 
Harris  to  lay  their  views  before  the  Association.  When 
the  report  of  the  Education  Board  came  up  saying  they 
had  "collected  no  funds — assisted  no  young  men — trans- 
acted no  business,"  the  committee  recommended  the 
reopening  of  the  college.     This  report  was  discussed  by 


210         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

a  number  of  speakers.  An  historical  sketch  of  the  col- 
lege, published  some  years  ago,  speaks  thus  of  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  report:  "It  will  not  be  invidious  dis- 
crimination to  refer  more  particularly  to  three  of  the 
speakers.  Mr.  Long,  in  behalf  of  the  alumni,  with  true 
filial  devotion,  made  a  pathetic  plea  for  their  dismantled 
mother,  pointed  proudly  to  her  past  and  pictured  with 
prophetic  power  a  yet  brighter  future.  He  urged  the 
propriety  of  using  the  remnant  of  endowment,  if  neces- 
sary, to  reopen  the  college  with  full  equipment.  Mr. 
Taylor  began  more  cautiously,  advocating  careful  preser- 
vation of  the  existing  fund  as  the  nucleus  of  another  en- 
dowment, but,  warming  up  as  he  spoke,  nobly  seconded 
the  appeal  for  early  and  complete  resumption.  The  cli- 
max was  reached  when  James  Thomas,  Jr.,  from  his 
place  near  the  center  of  the  church,  briefly  told  how,  as 
one  of  the  trustees,  he  had  protested  against  the  change 
of  investment,  and,  when  it  was  made  in  spite  of  all  pro- 
test, had  given  up  in  despair,  but  added  that  'the  enthusi- 
asm of  these  young  men'  had  touched  him  and  that  he 
was  ready  to  subscribe  $5,000  for  another  endowment 
and,  pending  its  collection,  to  pay  the  salary  of  one  pro- 
fessor. This  thrilled  the  audience  with  hope  and  settled 
the  question."  So  the  college  was  saved  and  Mr.  Long 
had  had  no  small  part  in  this  victory. 

In  1868  Mr.  Long  became  pastor  of  the  Charlottes- 
ville Church,  succeeding  Rev.  Dr.  William  F.  Broaddus. 
In  this  relationship  he  remained  seven  years.  This  was 
to  be  his  last  pastorate,  and  at  this  point  it  will  be  timely 
to  give  some  estimate  of  him  as  a  preacher  and  as  a 
pastor  and  man.  The  following  estimate  is  from  the  pen 
of  Dr.  Noah  K.  Davis,  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy, 
for  so  many  years  at  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  a 
member  of  the  Charlottesville  Baptist  Church:  "In  his 
private,  personal  character.  Dr.  Long  was  very  modest 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  211 

and  unassuming.  He  magnified  his  office,  but  never 
himself.  Gentle  and  refined  in  his  manners,  he  was 
attractive  to  strangers;  genial  and  warm-hearted,  he 
made  many  friends;  cordial,  sincere,  and  unselfish,  he 
never  lost  them.  A  conversationalist  of  rare  chami,  he 
was  popular  in  social  circles.  The  respectful  deference 
of  his  address,  the  firmness  of  his  matured  opinions,  the 
fearless  independence  of  his  conduct  marked  him  as  a 
typical  Virginian.  His  patience  in  trouble,  his  tender 
sympathy,  his  unswerving  rectitude,  marked  him  as  a 
Christian  gentleman. 

"Endowed  with  a  keen  and  subtle  intellect,  his  mind 
and  heart  were  ever  full  of  questions  whose  solution  he 
was  always,  often  successfully,  seeking.  He  welcomed 
light  and  truth  from  any  quarter ;  was  an  earnest,  liberal- 
minded  student;  and  thus  became  a  ripe  and  finished 
scholar,  with  clear-cut,  settled  views  on  many  contro- 
verted points  and  with  ability  and  learning  to  maintain 
his  ground.  Yet  he  was  not  a  disputant,  but  a  thinker 
and  a  teacher.  Alas  for  us,  who  are  groping  in  the 
dark,  that  he  did  not  live  out  a  full  measure  of  days! 

"Dr.  Long's  earnestness  and  thoughtfulness  were  espe- 
cially apparent  in  his  preaching.  He  never  in  the  pulpit 
uttered  a  sensational  word,  but,  as  a  brother  minister 
writes  of  him,  'he  always  preached  the  very  marrow  of 
the  gospel,  the  old-fashioned  doctrines  of  God's  word 
which  he  firmly  believed  and  consistently  held.'  There 
was  a  rare  pathos  in  his  style,  great  vigor  and  originality 
in  his  thoughts,  and  profound  earnestness  in  his  appeals. 
Write  it  in  his  epitaph : 

"  'The  law  of  truth  was  in  his  mouth, 
And  iniquity  was  not  found  in  his  lips ; 
He  walked  with  God  in  peace  and  equity, 
And  did  turn  many  away   fiom  iniquity.'" 

An  earlier  estimate,  more  fully  characterizing  Dr. 
Long's  work  in  the  pulpit,  appeared  many  years  ago  in 


212         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

the  Southwestern  Baptist,  and  though  written  of  him 
while  he  was  still  a  young  man — apparently  during  his 
Norfolk  pastorate — it  is  equally  true  of  his  later  years: 
"The  Rev.  John  C.  Long  is  one  of  the  quietest  and  most 
unpretending  of  our  ministers.  He  preaches  in  a  low 
tone,  rarely  elevates  his  voice  above  its  ordinar}^  key, 
and  goes  on  in  his  smooth  way,  uttering  the  deepest 
truths  and  presenting  the  freshest  views  of  religious  doc- 
trine and  experience  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  course  to 
know  what  is  true  and  worthy  of  public  proclamation. 
He  ought  not  to  be  heard  in  a  noisy,  promiscuous,  un- 
thinking crowd.  He  is  not  a  Boanerges.  He  has  no 
pretense — no  mere  argumenta  ad  homines — no  reason- 
ings for  one  place  whose  soundness  he  suspects  and 
would  be  ashamed  to  utter  in  another.  He  aims  to  be 
right;  and  the  right  and  the  true  he  believes  to  be 
adapted  to  all  audiences  alike.  Go  to  hear  him,  if  you 
have  a  chance,  on  a  quiet  evening  in  October,  when  the 
rusthng  of  the  autumn  leaves  and  the  distant  lowings 
of  the  herd  are  all  the  noises  the  ear  can  catch,  or  on  a 
Wednesday  night  in  a  city  church,  in  the  lecture-room, 
when  the  city  is  quiet  and  no  hum  of  busy  industry  is 
abroad — get  into  a  snug  corner,  as  near  the  pulpit  as 
you  can — be  attentive  to  the  minister  as  he  goes  on  un- 
folding, first,  the  meaning  of  his  text;  then  presenting 
the  ilkistrations  which  enforce  it,  then  its  application, 
and  as  he  rises  with  his  theme,  mark  his  quiet  earnest- 
ness, his  perfect  mastery  of  his  subject,  the  simplicity 
and  beauty  of  his  ilkistrations,  the  strong  (almost  start- 
ling) and  perfectly  novel  view  of  some  puzzling  and  dif- 
ficult topic,  and  you  are  delighted — you  are  'carried 
away' — you  feel  that  it  is  good  to  hear  the  gospel  from 
the  lips  of  a  master,  to  ponder  its  sacred  matters  with 
a  thinker  who  honors  its  truth,  and  is  in  earnest  in  show- 
ing you  its  hidden  treasures.     Mr.  Long  preaches  more 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  213 

like  the  English  Manning  writes  than  any  other  minis- 
ter I  know.  He  is  not,  and  never  will  be,  what  is  called 
a  popular  preacher.  He  can  never  have  lung  enough  to 
sway  the  giddy  crowd  of  thoughtless  and  superficial 
listeners.  He  hasn't  pretense  enough — quackery  enough 
— to  create  a  stir  in  a  fashionable  audience.  His  place 
is  with  the  thinkers,  with  the  thoughtful,  whether 
learned  or  unlearned,  and  they  who  attend  his  ministry 
to  be  profited  by  the  truth  will  secure  lasting  and  blessed 
benefit ;  and  his  fellow-ministers  who  shall  hear  even 
occasionally  his  pulpit  efforts  will  not  be  unprofited.  I 
was  not  surprised  to  hear  that  a  brother  whom  he  had 
visited,  and  for  whom  he  had  preached  several  sermons, 
should  recur  to  the  visit  as  one  affording  both  pleasure 
and  profit  to  himself — the  views  of  truth  presented  were 
so  fresh  and  new  and  truthful.  There  is,  of  course,  the 
highest  literary  polish  in  his  pulpit  efforts.  He  has 
read  much,  and  deeply  drunk  of  the  well  of  English  un- 
defiled.  His  contributions  to  periodicals  evidence  this." 
As  pastor  of  the  Charlottesville  Church,  Dr.  Long  had 
among  his  members  the  family  at  "Verdant  Lawn,"  that 
typical  Virginia  home  to  which  allusion  has  already 
been  made.  His  own  pen  shows  him  once  again  a  visi- 
tor in  that  charming  home.  Since  his  first  visit,  Mr. 
Parish  and  his  wife  had  died,  and  now  their  son-in-law, 
Rev.  John  T.  Randolph,  and  his  wife,  occupied  the  home. 
Dr.  Long  says :  "The  masters  had  changed,  but  the 
spirit,  the  tone,  the  genius  of  the  place  was  the  same. 
Many  a  time  Hart,  William  Fife  (son  of  Rev.  James 
Fife),  as  close  a  thinker  and  as  pure  a  spirit  as  one  ever 
meets  in  life,  Robert  S.  Morgan,  the  leader  of  our  choir, 
and  I  went  together  to  the  old  home.  Usually  we  walked 
through  the  fields;  we  went  before  supper  and  left  next 
morning  after  breakfast.  We  never  could  see  that  our 
sudden,  unannounced  coming  made  any  change  in  the 


214         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

family  arrangements.  Certainly  it  caused  no  confusion 
or  haste  or  embarrassment.  It  produced  no  ripple,  no 
chafing  in  the  stream  of  family  life.  The  table  always 
seemed  to  be  expecting  guests.  And  after  supper  there 
was  conversation  —  keen,  earnest,  honest  discussion. 
Those  who  talked  tried  to  be  as  much  simple  truth-seek- 
ers as  ever  Socrates  was.  Sometimes  there  was  a  cessa- 
tion of  'high  argument'  and  then  came  confidential  home- 
talk  among  friends,  and  sometimes  there  was  music. 
Morgan  sang  his  'Flee  as  a  Bird.'  It  was  midnight  be- 
fore we  retired  to  rest.  Fife  is  dead ;  Morgan  is  in  South 
Carolina;  John  Hart  is  still  a  schoolmaster  in  Old  Vir- 
ginia, and  I  am  here.  But,  besides  those  who  went  with 
me,  there  were  others  whom  I  often  met  at  'Verdant 
Lawn.'  I  have  spent  days  there  with  Dr.  Sears,  for- 
merly President  of  Brown  University,  and  Agent  of 
the  Peabody  Fund.  I  have  been  there  with  Dr.  Jeter 
and  J.  W.  M.  Williams,  and  John  A.  Broadus  and  Noah 
K.  Davis,  and  with  others  not,  like  them,  known  to  the 
great  world,  but  nearer  and  dearer  than  all.  How  much 
at  home  I  have  been  there !  I  have  slept  in  every  cham- 
ber in  that  great  house,  the  privilege  of  pastor  and  friend. 
"In  late  years  when  I  have  visited  my  friends  it  has 
generally  been  alone.  One  of  the  family,  Dr.  W.  P.  F. 
Randolph,  after  Morgan  went  to  South  Carolina,  was 
leader  of  our  choir.  He  had  a  rich,  deep,  sweet  voice, 
and  he  was  passionately  fond  of  music.  His  sister,  Julia, 
was  also  a  sweet  singer,  few  sweeter.  It  was  a  pleasure 
long  to  be  remembered  to  hear  them  sing  together.  This 
pleasure  they  always  gave  me  when  I  found  them  at 
home.  ...  I  went  out  into  the  long  back  piazza,  and, 
as  I  had  often  done  before,  watched  the  full  moon  rise 
in  silent  beauty  above  Carter's  Mountain.  The  moun- 
tain was  the  same  great  leafy  steep;  the  moon  was  the 
same  in  majestic  glory ;  but  how  much  else  was  changed !" 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  215 

During  his  pastorate  in  Charlottesville,  Dr.  Long  was 
popular  with  the  people  of  other  denominations  and  much 
beloved  by  his  own  members.  As  an  evidence  of  his  cor- 
dial pastor  spirit,  these  words  of  Dr.  Noah  K.  Davis, 
written  after  Dr.  Long's  death,  are  most  significant: 
"More  than  twenty  years  ago,  on  coming  here,  the  first 
to  meet  me,  greeting  me  with  a  smile  and  grasp  of  hearty 
welcome,  was  the  now  lost  friend  and  brother  whom 
from  that  hour  I  loved.  Of  course.  Who  could  resist 
him?    He  was  my  faithful  pastor  for  some  years. 

"  'We  took  sweet  counsel  together, 
And  walked  to  the  house  of  God  in  company.' 

"I  thankfully  acknowledge  his  great  helpfulness. 
When  disheartened  by  the  magnitude  of  my  task,  he 
gave  me  fresh  courage  by  his  hopefulness  and  wisdom. 
He  entered  into  my  work  and  helped  me  with  his  keen 
and  disciplined  intellect,  giving  me  light  as  well  as 
strength.  And,  more,  he  urged  and  helped  my  feeble  ef- 
forts towards  a  higher  life,  giving  me  larger  thoughts 
of  unselfish  service.  Whatever  I  am  that  is  worthy,  he 
helped  me  to  be,  and  I  shall  always  think  of  him  with 
glowing  gratitude." 

Dr.  Long's  personal  appearance  at  this  period  of  his 
life  and  some  of  his  salient  traits  of  character  are  well 
set  before  our  eyes  by  the  following  words  from  Rev. 
Dr.  J.  W.  McCown,  one  of  "The  Triumvirate"  already 
alluded  to :  "A  frame  of  medium  height,  slightly  but 
firmly  knit,  and  even  in  the  early  days  a  little  bent  with 
the  student's  stoop  of  shoulders ;  a  face  of  rugged  and 
homely  mold,  and  strongly  marked  with  lines  of  thought 
and  care,  and  eyes  that  ever  anticipated  the  tongue  in  the 
expression  of  varying  mood  and  feeling.  Such  the  out- 
ward form ;  within  dwelt  a  keen,  grasping  mind  of  rest- 
less, ceaseless  activity,  and  a  great,  magnanimous  soul. 


216         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

.  .  .  There  was  a  large  satirical  ingredient  in  his  com- 
position ;  was  there  ever  in  this  world  satire  so  little  bit- 
ter, ever  a  cynicism  so  sweet  and  tender?  The  mean- 
ness of  human  life  stirred  his  pity,  and  its  pathos  touched 
him  profoundly.  The  sting  of  his  satire  was  ever  healed 
by  the  balm  of  his  sympathy." 

In  1875  Dr.  Long  resigned  the  Charlottesville  church 
to  accept  the  chair  of  Ecclesiastical  History  in  the  Cro- 
zer  Theological  Seminary,  at  Upland,  Pa.  Here  he  spent 
nineteen  years,  and  doubtless  Dr.  Stifler,  one  of  his  col- 
leagues, is  right  in  saying  that  here  he  did  his  life  work. 
While  he  was  an  excellent  preacher,  he  was  preeminently 
fitted  to  occupy  a  professor's  place.  From  the  very  time 
of  his  graduation  it  seems  as  though  the  teacher  instinct 
were  lying  latent  in  him,  now  and  then  showing  itself. 
He  was  always  a  student,  and  increasingly  a  scholar.  He 
was  learned  in  the  languages,  especially  Greek  and  Latin, 
both  of  which  he  read  with  ease.  Many  of  the  books 
which  he  had  to  consult  in  his  historical  work  were  ac- 
cessible to  him  only  in  the  Latin  tongue.  While  he,  per- 
haps, would  have  preferred  the  chair  of  New  Testament 
Exegesis,  he  soon  proved  his  thorough  fitness  to  teach 
history.  It  was  remarked  that  the  details  of  history 
never  mastered  him,  but  that  he  was  the  master  of  de- 
tails. He  studied  movements  and  principles  rather  than 
men.  He  made  history  interesting  and  profitable.  In  his 
first  years  at  Crozer,  his  students  complained  of  the  dry 
discussions  of  Kurtz,  their  text-book,  but  were  charmed 
with  their  teacher's  lectures.  At  first,  Church  History 
had  no  place  in  the  first  year's  course,  but  eventually  Dr. 
Long  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it  taught  in  all  three 
years.  Dr.  Johnson,  one  of  the  Crozer  professors,  de- 
clared that  Dr.  Long  was  very  much  like  the  late  Pro- 
fessor Diman,  of  the  chair  of  History  at  Brown,  and 
remarked  concerning  these  two  teachers  that  "each  was 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  217 

so  urbane,  so  witty,  so  transparently  the  high-souled  gen- 
tleman, that  one  felt  he  was  in  the  hands  of  a  fitting 
guide  when  his  teacher  led  him  into  the  company  of  the 
great  ones  of  the  earth,  and  either  illuminated  secular 
history,  as  Diman  did,  by  w4iat  occurred  in  the  church, 
or  church  history,  as  Long  did,  by  what  went  on  in  the 
world."  Dr.  Johnson  naively  adds:  "I  often  told  him 
how  Dr.  Diman  did  things,  but  with  the  stupid  Yankee 
resen^e,  never  ventured  to  say,  'You  remind  me  of  him 
all  the  time.'  " 

Since  Dr.  Long  was  able  to  go  directly  to  original 
sources  for  information,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  doing 
this,  and  as  he  was  a  thinker  and  given  to  arriving  at 
conclusions  for  himself,  he  was  highly  qualified  to  write 
history,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  commanded 
a  graceful  and  charming  style.  He  was  at  work  in  his 
later  years  upon  a  history  of  the  Reformation,  but  did 
not  live  to  complete  it.  His  contributions  upon  historical 
themes  to  the  Quarterlies  were  pronounced  by  those 
worthy  to  judge  of  high  ability.  Dr.  N.  K.  Davis  saying, 
in  regard  to  his  article  on  the  "Historic  Episcopate," 
which  appeared  in  the  Bihliothcca  Sacra,  that  work  like 
that  ought  not  to  pass  away.  On  controverted  topics 
especially,  his  writings  are  remarkable  for  their  perfect 
candor,  fairness,  and  sincerity.  Good  examples  are  his 
tracts,  "On  Being  a  Baptist"  and  "Baptism  in  History 
in  the  East  and  West."  It  is  especially  to  be  regretted 
that  he  did  not  write  a  history  of  the  Baptists,  for  which 
he  was,  by  temperament  and  scholarship  and  sympathy, 
remarkably  well  equipped.  A  number  of  poems  from  his 
pen  appeared  from  time  to  time,  and  the  following,  pub- 
lished in  the  Independent  some  time  after  his  death,  in 
addition  to  its  literary  merit,  is  not  without  biographic 
interest : 


218         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 


"THE  BLINDED  EYES. 

'I  thought  the  shining  sun  was  dark, 
And  dark  the  bending  skies; 

Alas !    I  find  the  darkness  all 
Is  in  my  blinded  eyes. 

"I  thought  my  fellow-men  were  cold 

And  from  me  stood  apart ; 
Deceived    was    I — the   coldness    all 

Is  in   my   frozen   heart. 

'No  music  in  the  rippling  brook, 

Nor  in  the  breeze  I  find ; 
The  brook  and  breeze  are  not  to  blame, 

No  music's  in  my  mind. 

'No  beauty  beams  in  all  the  fields, 

In  flowers,  shrub  or  tree ; 
Yet  not  in  them,  but  in  myself. 

Is  the  deformity. 

'I  ask  not  that  the  outer  world 

Another   face  may  wear ; 
But  that  myself,  myself  be  changed, 

I  make  my  daily  prayer." 


Not  only  as  a  teacher,  but  also  as  a  man  and  as  a 
preacher,  Dr.  Long  was  greatly  esteemed  at  Crozer.  A 
thorough  Virginian  and  a  Democrat,  he  went  to  Penn- 
sylvania, a  most  out-and-out  RepubHcan  State,  only  a 
decade  after  the  end  of  the  Civil  War.  Yet  he  fully 
won  the  hearts  of  his  neighbors.  Dr.  Johnson  says : 
"He  reviewed  the  War  as  judicially  as  though  he  were 
considering  the  struggle  of  the  Greek  and  the  Persian 
civilizations.  I  have  never  known  his  equal  in  this  re- 
gard among  such  of  us  that  lived  in  those  terrible  years. 
A  characteristic  conclusion  was  that  history  would  ac- 
cept as  the  real  heroes  of  the  War  Lincoln  and  Lee.  If 
he  was  proud  of  the  latter  as  a  Virginian,  he  loved  the 
former  as  an  American.     .     .     .     For  years  he  taught  a 


JOHN  CRALLE  LONG  219 

great  Bible  class  in  the  Baptist  Church  of  Upland,  filled 
the  pulpit  for  months,  was  heard  with  delight  by 
thoughtful  people  in  many  churches,  and  was  particu- 
larly dear  to  the  brethren  who  make  up  the  great  Baptist 
Ministers'  Conference  in  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love. 

"Whatever  was  due  to  his  learning  and  mental  force, 
even  more  was  accorded  to  his  singularly  winning  char- 
acter. A  gentleman  'born  and  bred,'  a  Christian  from 
heart's  core  to  tip  of  tongue,  he  commanded  deference 
by  his  simple  dignity  and  won  love  by  his  gentle  ways. 
The  students  so  trusted  him  that  occasionally  they  made 
fearful  exactions  upon  his  time  and  waning  strength ; 
but  he  ever  treated  them  according  to  his  rule,  always  to 
deal  with  a  man  so  that  he  might  afterwards  do  him 
good." 

Dr.  Long  received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  his  Alma 
Mater,  Richmond  College,  and  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from 
Baylor  University,  Texas. 

Dr.  Long  had  six  children,  born  of  his  first  marriage. 
One  of  these,  a  daughter,  Harriet  Ragland,  died  before 
him  in  early  womanhood,  a  singularly  pure  and  beautiful 
character.  Five  sons  still  sui-vive.  They  are :  Armi- 
stead  R.  Long,  a  lawyer  of  Lynchburg,  Virginia;  John 
C.  Long,  a  farmer,  Amherst  County,  Virginia;  Charles 
M.  Long,  a  professor  in  Bethel  College,  Kentucky;  Jos- 
eph R.  Long,  Professor  of  Law  in  Washington  and  Lee 
University,  and  William  F.  Long,  a  lawyer  of  Char- 
lottesville, Virginia.  Some  time  after  the  death  of  his 
first  wife.  Dr.  Long  married  the  widow  of  Charles  G. 
Clark,  M.  D.,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  a  sister  of  Rev.  Dr.  E.  H. 
Johnson,  a  professor  of  Crozer  Theological  Seminaiy. 
His  second  wife  survived  him,  dying  in  1907. 

In  the  summer  of  1894  Dr.  Long  was  seeking  rest  and 
health  in  Charlottesville,  where  happy  and  useful  years 
had  been  spent.     And  liere,  on  the  6th  of  August,  death 


220         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

overtook  him,  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that  his  funeral 
took  place  in  the  church  where  he  had  once  been  pastor, 
and  he  was  laid  to  rest  among  the  Amherst  hills,  amidst 
familiar  and  beloved  spots,  and  not  far  from  the  place 
where  he  had  first  seen  the  light  of  day.  Not  long  before 
the  end  he  said  to  Dr.  N.  K.  Davis,  who  sat  by  his  bed- 
side :  "Do  you  remember  the  last  sermon  I  preached 
here?  The  text  was:  'That  life  which  I  now  live  in  the 
flesh  I  live  in  faith  ?'  I  have  been  trying  hard,  very  hard, 
to  live  up  to  that." 


CHARLES  GORSUCH  MERRYMAN 

'This  is  my  twenty-eighth  birthday.  I  thank  God 
that  He  has  spared  my  Hfe  so  long.  Oh,  that  I  had  done 
more  for  Christ  in  these  years!  What  failures,  what 
lost  privileges,  what  wasted  opportunities  fill  the  past! 
I  spend  these  last  moments  of  the  old  year  1888  on  my 
knees  imploring  God's  help  and  strength  that  I  may  be 
more  holy,  more  devout,  more  consecrated  during  the 
next  year.  I  know  He  will  help  me  in  every  hour  of 
it."  This  is  an  extract  from  the  diary  of  Charles  Gor- 
such  Merryman,  who  was  for  more  than  six  years  a 
Virginia  pastor.  He  was  born  December  31,  1860,  at 
"Alberton."  the  family  homestead,  Baltimore  County, 
Maryland.  He  studied  at  the  Towson  public  school, 
the  Baltimore  City  College,  the  Johns  Hopkins  Univer- 
sity, and  then  entered  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological 
Seminary,  Louisville,  Ky.  During  his  student  days  in 
Baltimore  he  accepted  Christ  and  was  baptized  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  Eutaw  Place  Baptist  Church  by 
Dr.  F.  H.  Kerfoot.  After  his  graduation  in  Louisville, 
he  became  pastor  of  the  Greenville  Baptist  Church, 
Augusta  County.  On  this  difficult  field  he  did  good 
work,  completing  the  meeting-house,  paying  off  some 
church  debts,  organizing  a  mission  at  Vesuvius,  and  in 
many  ways  strengthened  the  cause.  On  April  30,  1890, 
at  the  church  of  St.  Michael  and  All  Angels,  Baltimore, 
he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Charlotte  Carter  Parsons.  In 
January,  1890,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Riverside  Baptist 
Church,  Baltimore.  Here  he  labored  faith fullv  until  his 
death,  July  3,  1894. 


221 


JOHN  CHURCHILL  WILLIS 

In  the  lower  end  of  Orange  County,  Virginia,  is  a 
place  called  Indiantown,  from  the  fact  that  here  were 
found  many  relics  of  the  aborigines.  Near  this  place, 
John  Churchill  Willis  was  born,  lived,  died,  and  was 
buried.  His  parents  were  Larkin  Willis  and  Mary  Gor- 
don, the  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Churchill  Gordon,  a 
Baptist  preacher.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  Larkin  Willis 
by  his  first  wife  was  Edward  J.  Willis,  who  was  a  Bap- 
tist minister,  but  Mary  Gordon,  who  was  a  bride  at  six- 
teen, was  the  mother  of  twenty  children,  seventeen  grow- 
ing up  to  be  Christian  men  and  women.  When  the  Civil 
War  called  for  Virginia's  sons  to  go  to  the  front,  at  one 
time  no  less  than  ten  sons  from  this  home  were  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Confederate  Anny.  One  of  these  was  shot 
on  the  battlefield  and  one  died  in  a  Federal  prison.  At 
the  marriage  of  the  youngest  child,  fifteen  brothers  and 
sisters  were  present.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  old- 
est of  this  score  of  children,  was  born  May  21,  1824. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  baptized  by  Elder  Charles 
A.  Lewis  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Flat  Run  Baptist 
Church,  at  that  time  an  arm  of  the  Zoar  Church,  but  in 
1848  organized  into  an  independent  body.  Shortly  after 
this  time  there  came  into  the  home  of  Mr.  Larkin  Willis, 
as  the  teacher  for  the  younger  children,  Miss  Mary 
Catesby  Woodford,  from  Kentucky.  She  was  a  great- 
granddaughter  of  General  William  Woodford,  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame,  a  member  of  the  family  that  had  given 
its  name  to  Woodford  County,  Kentucky,  and  a  young 
woman  of  rare  beauty,  singular  gentleness,  and  excellent 
education.    Was  it  any  wonder  that  the  oldest  son  of  the 

222 


JOHN  CHURCHILL  WILLIS  223 

home  to  which  she  went  to  teach  should  fall  in  love  with 
her?  Upon  June  26,  1845,  soon  after  he  had  attained 
his  majority,  they  were  married  and  forthwith  went  to 
live  at  "Woodlawn"  (which  was  to  be  their  home  for 
almost  fifty  years),  on  the  banks  of  the  Rapidan  River. 
The  bride  was  a  strong  Episcopalian,  while  the  husband 
was  no  less  ardent  a  Baptist.  They  decided  not  to  dis- 
cuss denominational  differences,  but  to  read  the  Bible 
carefully  and  to  follow  its  leadings.  In  a  few  years  she 
became  convinced  of  the  scripturalness  of  the  Baptist 
position  and  was  buried  with  Christ  in  baptism.  The 
custom  thus  formed  of  studying  the  Bible  together  was 
continued  to  the  end  of  life.  It  would  be  hard  to  find  a 
more  beautiful  picture  of  wedded  love  than  that  seen  at 
"Woodlawn."  The  perfect  union  of  husband  and  wife 
was  "cemented  by  common  joys  as  they  prospered  in  the 
world  and  saw  three  sons  and  a  daughter  grow  up  to 
lives  of  usefulness,  and  even  more  by  common  sorrows 
as  they  laid  beneath  the  sod  six  other  children  dying  in 
infancy  or  early  youth."  He  was  a  man  of  command- 
ing presence,  being  six  feet  four  inches  tall  and  weighing 
three  hundred  pounds,  of  strong  mind  and  versatile  in 
talent.  "He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  mill-owner,  a 
good  mechanic,  a  man  of  all-round  common  sense,  and 
withal  an  earnest  student  and  deep  thinker."  His  fellow- 
citizens  often  called  on  him  to  fill  such  public  offices  as 
those  of  county  surveyor,  commissioner,  and  supervisor, 
but  he  was  always  unwilling  to  accept  any  work  that  kept 
him  long  from  home,  for,  like  Wordsworth's  "Happy 
Warrior,"  his  bias  was  "to  homefelt  pleasures."  He  kept 
in  full  sympathy,  to  the  very  end  of  his  life,  with  young 
men,  who  eagerly  sought  his  advice  on  all  subjects.  In 
his  wife,  who,  though  charming  in  society,  was  a  modest 
"keeper  at  home,"  the  "distressed  found  ever  a  soothing 
friend  and  the  poor  a  willing  helper."     Upon  one  occa- 


224         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

sion  Mr.  Willis  had  a  painful  fall  from  a  buggy,  in 
which  his  great  weight  made  matters  more  serious.  He 
longed  to  get  home.  Unfortunately,  on  this  occasion,  his 
tender  wife,  who  usually  was  ready  to  minister  so  lov- 
ingly in  case  of  accident  or  distress,  was  herself  ill,  so 
she  lay  in  one  bed  and  he  in  another,  while  together  they 
sang  the  songs  of  Zion  from  "The  Windows  of  Heaven," 
accompanied  by  the  voices  of  their  little  ones. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  April,  1858,  he  was  ordained 
at  Flat  Run  Church  to  the  gospel  ministry,  the  presby- 
tery consisting  of  Elders  William  R.  Powell  and  Joseph 
A.  Billingsley.  He  immediately  became  pastor  of  this 
church,  and  this  union  lasted  until  his  death,  a  period  of 
thirty-six  years.  After  that  day  in  the  spring  of  1858, 
along  the  country  road,  where  the  old  church  stood,  great 
armies  tramped,  and  in  the  same  neighborhood  hundreds 
fell  in  battle,  but  for  thirty-six  years  "he  stood  fixed  and 
stable,  like  a  towering  tree  that  makes  a  landmark  for  a 
neighborhood."  While  his  regular  ministrations  through 
the  years  were  at  Flat  Run,  other  churches  in  Spottsyl- 
vania,  Culpeper,  and  Orange  Counties  heard  his  voice, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  Zoar,  along  with  his  mother 
church,  called  him  pastor.  He  delighted  to  work  for 
feeble  churches  and  poor  people,  and  the  general  section 
in  which  he  lived  offered  large  opportunity  in  these  direc- 
tions.- He  seemed,  by  reason  of  his  indifference  to  finan- 
cial compensation  for  his  services,  to  belong  to  a  former 
generation,  when  a  paid  ministry  was  less  known  among 
Baptists.  "He  coveted  no  salary,  sought  no  place,  made 
no  display,  seemed  absolutely  free  from  jealousy  or  sore- 
headedness,  much  preferred  to  listen  rather  than  to  speak 
in  meetings,  studied  his  Bible  day  and  night  and  loved 
to  talk  about  its  precious  truths.  He  took  no  notes  into 
the  pulpit,  yet  had  thought  out  his  subject  so  logically 
that  it  was  easy  for  a  hearer  to  make  clear  analyses  of 


JOHN  CHURCHILL  WILLIS  225 

his  sermons.  He  was  at  his  best  in  discussing  what  are 
sometimes  called  the  Pauline  doctrines  of  sovereign  grace 
and  applying  them  to  the  duties  of  daily  life.  His  man- 
ner was  more  didactic  than  emotional,  but  was  enlivened 
by  an  undercurrent  of  genial,  cordial  humor  and  by  tropes 
and  figures  drawn  from  agricultural  pursuits."  Not  only 
was  he  remarkable  for  his  goodness  and  his  high  per- 
sonal character,  but  as  a  thinker,  writer,  debater,  and  the- 
ologian he  was  independent,  strong,  able,  forceful.  Men- 
tion should  be  made  here  of  the  temperance  movement 
in  which  Elder  William  R.  Powell  was  the  leading  figure, 
but  in  which  Mr.  Willis  did  efficient  work.  This  episode 
in  the  history  of  the  Goshen  Association  is  more  fully 
described  in  a  sketch  (in  the  "Third  Series")  of  Elder 
W.  R.  Powell.  He  was  first  assisted,  and  then  suc- 
ceeded, in  the  editorship  of  the  Virginia  Baptist  by  Mr. 
Willis. 

While  the  record  of  his  pastorate  of  one  church  for 
thirty-six  years  is  most  inspiring,  perhaps  the  picture  of 
his  long  and  happy  wedded  life  is  even  more  beautiful. 
Some  two  years  before  his  death  he  wrote  thus  about  his 
wife:  "My  wife!  The  partner  of  my  joys  and  sorrows, 
of  my  successes  and  defeats,  of  my  ups  and  downs,  of  my 
elations  and  mortifications.  I  am  what  I  am  through  her 
influence.  Had  I  adhered  more  closely  to  her  advice  I 
would  have  been  a  better  and  more  successful  man.  .  .  . 
The  midnight  lamp  finds  her  in  meditation  and  prayer 
and  in  pouring  over  the  pages  of  the  Divine  Guide.  A 
wife,  a  mother,  a  mentor!  .  .  ."  It  had  always  been 
the  hope  and  wish  of  this  loving  couple  that  they  might 
not  be  separated  long  by  death,  and  it  was  even  as  they 
wished.  They  "were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives 
and  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided."  Their  mar- 
ried life  and  its  end  recall  the  beautiful  lines  of  Burns' 
song: 


226         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

"John  Anderson  my  jo,  John, 

We  clamb  the  hill  thegither, 
And  many  a  canty  day,  John, 

We've  had  wi'  ane  anither. 
Now  we  maun  totter  down,  John, 

But  hand  in  hand  we'll  go, 
And  sleep  thegither  at  the  foot, 

John  Anderson  my  jo.  John." 

Mr.  Willis  passed  away  August  2,  1894;  the  next  day 
his  wife  followed  him,  and  they  were  buried  in  one 
grave.  On  Sunday,  September  16,  1894,  at  Flat  Run 
Baptist  Church,  an  all-day  service  in  memory  of  this  pas- 
tor and  his  wife  was  held.  A  beautifully  printed  pro- 
gramme gave  the  order  of  exercises.  Professor  H.  H. 
Harris,  of  Richmond  College,  presided,  and  explained 
the  meaning  of  the  service.  Mr.  Edward  J.  Woodville, 
a  member  of  the  church,  paid  a  tribute  to  his  "faithful 
and  loving  pastor."  Rev.  Dr.  T.  S.  Dunaway,  the  next 
speaker,  described  his  friend  of  many  years  as  the  "un- 
selfish co-worker  for  Christ."  After  a  recess,  the  serv- 
ices were  resumed.  Mr.  R.  Lindsay  Gordon,  of  Louisa, 
and  Mr.  B.  D.  Gray,  of  Culpeper,  spoke  of  Mr.  Willis 
as  a  "firm  friend  and  safe  adviser."  Mr.  Andrew  Jack- 
son Montague  was  to  have  spoken  of  "the  charms  of  a 
Christian  home"  as  illustrated  by  the  Willis  home,  but, 
he  being  absent  on  account  of  ofiicial  duties.  Professor 
Harris  spoke  on  tliis  theme.  The  last  speaker  was  Rev. 
Dr.  E.  W.  Winfrey,  whose  subject  was :  "A  Sinner 
Saved  by  Grace."  This  remarkable  sei'vice  was  attended 
by  a  large  concourse  of  people,  many  coming  long  dis- 
tances, and  a  goodly  number  of  negroes  attested  their 
interest  by  their  presence. 


ROBERT  N.  REAMY 

The  birthplace  of  Robert  N.  Reamy  was  in  the  upper 
part  of  Richmond  County,  where  he  sprang  from  godly 
Baptist  parentage  on  February  4.  1817.  His  birth  did 
not  usher  him  into  affluence  or  the  enervating  luxuries 
of  life,  but  he  was  forced  to  learn  from  childhood  tlie 
necessity  of  honest  toil.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
stern  and  exacting  school  of  farm  labor,  where  his  physi- 
cal nature  was  finely  disciplined,  and  his  splendid  nat- 
ural powers  became  developed  into  a  hardy  and  resolute 
spirit  and  a  robust  frame  of  singular  muscular  strength 
and  endurance.  His  commanding  stature,  his  long  and 
sinewy  limbs,  and  his  independent  and  ardent  nature 
must  have  distinguished  him  in  any  group  in  which  he 
was  thrown. 

Ere  he  had  reached  his  majority  he  married  Miss  Jane 
Owens,  of  King  George  County,  Virginia,  and  so  felt 
the  restraining  and  helpful  effects  of  a  happy  union  which 
he  was  destined  to  enjoy  throughout  his  long  life.  The 
educational  advantages  of  his  boyhood  were  of  necessity 
limited,  and  after  his  marriage  neither  his  resources  nor 
the  burdens  and  cares  of  a  growing  family  admitted  of 
his  undertaking  much  in  behalf  of  his  mental  training 
and  culture.  Happily,  two  years  after  his  marriage,  in 
August,  1839,  he  was  brought  under  conviction  of  sin 
and  found  peace  in  surrendering  himself  to  Christ.  A 
movement  was  on  foot  at  that  time  to  organize  the  Rap- 
pahannock Baptist  Church,  and  he  became  one  of  its 
constituent  members. 

Prayer-meetings  in  private  homes,  conducted  by  both 
ministers  and  lay  members,  were  much  in  vogue  at  this 

227 


228  VRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

period,  and  it  is  quite  likely  he  found  occasion,  with  the 
encouragement  of  older  brethren,  to  exercise  his  gifts 
from  time  to  time  in  exhortation  and  prayer,  yet  he  was 
forty  years  of  age  before  he  was  formally  licensed  to 
preach.  This  was  done  by  Pope's  Creek  Church  on 
March  2,  1857.  The  General  Association  was  beginning 
at  this  time  to  lay  much  stress  on  the  work  of  Sunday 
schools  and  colportage,  and  Brother  Reamy  was  em- 
ployed as  a  colporteur.  In  this  capacity  he  traversed  the 
Northern  Neck,  preaching  the  gospel  from  house  to 
house  and  scattering  among  the  people  many  valuable 
tracts  and  choice  volumes  of  religious  literature.  This 
work  proved  to  him  the  opening  of  a  door  to  the  minis- 
try, and  he  was  ordained  at  the  call  of  Gibson  Church  on 
April  8,  1860. 

After  his  ordination,  he  entered  into  pastoral  relations 
with  Gibson,  in  Northumberland,  and  Round  Hill,  in 
King  George,  the  two  churches  being  about  fifty  miles 
apart.  He  was  not  many  years  pastor  in  King  George, 
but,  besides  his  services  at  Round  Hill,  he  gathered  the 
nucleus  from  which  Oakland  Church  was  subsequently 
formed.  For  a  few  years  he  was  pastor  at  Pope's  Creek, 
where  for  most  of  his  life  he  held  his  membership. 

Gibson  Church  was  the  principal  field  of  his.  minis- 
terial usefulness.  Here,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  he 
performed  a  self-denying  and  arduous  ministry  crowned 
with  many  tokens  of  the  divine  blessing  and  marked  by 
the  unfailing  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  brethren.  His 
home  was  distant  from  this  church  about  twenty-five 
miles,  and  during  the  long  years  of  his  service  he  was 
wont  to  go  to  his  appointments  on  horseback.  Dwellers 
along  the  route  of  his  travel  grew  familiar  with  both  the 
steed  and  its  stately  rider,  and  could  not  fail  to  be  im- 
pressed with  the  example  of  his  zeal  and  constancy  in 
heat  and  cold,  in  sunshine  and  cloud,  as  he  pursued  with 
regularity  and  patience  his  lonely  journeyings. 


ROBERT  N.  REAMY  229 

Besides  the  labors  which  he  performed  in  his  own 
fields,  he  rendered  much  helpful  assistance  to  other  pas- 
tors in  evangelistic  meetings,  his  heart  always  being  so 
enlisted  in  such  efforts  that  he  would  attend  them  even 
at  the  serious  sacrifice  of  his  own  private  interests.  He 
was  wont  to  tell  how  at  times  he  would  toil  in  the  field 
under  the  moon  far  into  the  night  that  he  might  take  the 
daytime  to  attend  revival  meetings. 

As  has  been  intimated,  Brother  Reamy  labored 
throughout  his  ministry  under  grave  embarrassments. 
His  family  was  large,  eighteen  children  having  been  born 
to  him ;  his  farm  was  limited  in  extent  and  fertility,  his 
remuneration  by  the  churches  was  meager,  and  during 
much  of  his  life  a  rheumatic  ailment  impaired  his  ac- 
tivity. It  seems  almost  marvelous  under  these  difficul- 
ties that  he  should  have  achieved  the  measure  of  success 
that  marked  his  life. 

Our  brother  may  fairly  be  said  to  have  been  a  dia- 
mond in  the  rough.  Beneath  a  rugged  exterior,  which 
never  owed  anything  to  meretricious  style  or  ornament. 
he  carried  a  warm  and  honest  heart,  an  humbly  pious 
spirit,  and  an  ardent  yearning  for  souls.  He  was  loyal 
to  his  convictions,  fearless  in  their  defense,  independent 
in  his  opinions,  imbued  with  a  nice  sense  of  justice  and 
honor,  and  true  as  steel  to  his  friends. 

His  preaching  was  as  marked  as  his  own  individuality 
and  was  the  expression  of  his  own  feelings,  a  reflection 
of  his  deep  religious  experiences,  the  fruitage  of  his  quiet 
meditations,  the  lessons  of  his  daily  observations,  and 
the  flashes  of  inspiration  which  came  to  him  at  times. 
In  manner  he  was  not  in  the  faintest  degree  artificial  or 
affected,  but  was  simple,  natural,  and  as  spontaneous  as 
a  mountain  streamlet  borne  onward  all  impetuous  and 
untrammeled  in  the  flow  of  its  current. 


230         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

He  possessed  a  strong  and  penetrating  voice,  and  when 
addressing  an  audience  the  wide  sweep  of  his  long  arms 
seemed  to  give  weight  to  his  words.  A  muscular  pecu- 
liarity gave  a  singular  power  of  expansion  and  contrac- 
tion to  his  forehead,  so  that  his  thick,  dark  hair  over  his 
brow  would  rise  and  fall  as  if  in  harmony  with  the  feel- 
ings that  rose  and  fell  in  his  breast.  Thus  impressive 
and  unique  in  his  personality,  he  was  probably  never  dis- 
turbed by  a  sleepy  hearer. 

He  was  well  schooled  in  the  discipline  of  sorrow.  Two 
manly  sons  who  fell  in  battle  in  '64  and  '65  cast  a  pall 
on  his  home,  and  the  loss  of  other  children  multiplied 
his  grief. 

The  evening  of  his  life  was  greatly  cheered  and  com- 
forted by  his  son,  A.  Judson  Reamy,  whom  he  was  privi- 
leged to  see  enter  the  ministry  with  many  signs  of  a 
highly  successful  and  useful  career.  The  cup  of  his  pa- 
rental joy  would  have  probably  overflowed  had  he  lived 
to  see  Luther,  the  son  of  his  old  age,  also  assuming  the 
ministerial  mantle. 

Brother  Reamy  peacefully  died  at  his  home  in  his  na- 
tive county,  in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age,  on 
August  27,  1894,  and  was  interred  in  the  family  ceme- 
tery on  the  farm  of  his  son  Luther,  where  his  grave  is 
suitably  marked  by  a  monument  erected  by  the  Gibson 
Baptist  Church.  With  almost  his  dying  breath  he  was 
heard  to  exclaim :  "Father,  open  the  gates  and  let  me 
through."  The  gates  were  opened,  and  the  toil-worn 
warrior  was  admitted  to  his  rest  and  crown. 

George  IV.  Beale. 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS 

The  Broadiis  (or  Broaddus*)  family  has  been  well 
known  in  Virginia  for  the  best  part  of  a  century.  It  is 
of  Welsh  origin,  and  the  name  was  once  spelled  Broad- 
hurst.  Many  are  its  members  who  have  risen  above  medi- 
ocrity, for  gifts  and  goodness,  and  of  these,  several  have 
been  Baptist  ministers.  The  elder  Andrew  Broaddus 
was  a  distinguished  pulpit  orator,  between  whom  and  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  a  strong  likeness,  despite  marked 
difference,  is  discernible.  Major  Edmund  Broadus,  the 
father  of  John  A.  Broadus,  was  a  man  of  mark  and  in- 
fluence, due  to  his  robust  common  sense  and  sturdy  prob- 
ity, as  well  as  a  decided  Christian  and  stanch  Baptist, 
who,  though  no  politician  and  refusing  the  politician's 
arts,  was  for  years  elected  to  represent  Culpeper  County 
in  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  and,  indeed,  was  never 
defeated  in  any  contest  before  the  people.  John  A. 
Broadus  was  blessed  also  in  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Simms.  His  two  maternal  uncles,  after  whom 
he  seems  to  have  been  named,  were  intellectual  men, 
John  Simms  being  a  physician  and  Albert  Simms  a 
teacher,  whose  able,  faithful  teaching  the  nephew  en- 
joyed. 

John  Albert  Broadus  was  born  in  the  county  of 
Culpeper,  Virginia,  on  the  24th  of  January,  1827, 
and  died  March  16,  1895.  Once,  while  he  was  a 
student  at  the  State  University,  several  students 
were    talking    together    of    the    places    of    their    birth. 

*Most  of  the  family  spell  the  name  with  the  double  "d";  once 
when  I  asked  Dr.  J.  A.  Broadus  why  he  differed,  he  replied :  "My 
father  preferred  to  use  only  one  'd,'  and  I  have  just  followed  him." 

231 


232         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

One  after  another  had  mentioned  some  city  or  estate 
bearing  a  historic  name.  Presently  it  was  asked :  "And 
you,  Broadus,  where  were  you  born?"  With  that  pecu- 
liar manner  which  we  all  remember,  but  which  none  of 
us  can  describe,  came  the  reply :  'T  was  born  at  the 
Poor  House."  It  was  even  so,  for  when  he  first  saw  the 
light,  his  father  had  charge  of  the  county  home  for  the 
poor.  A  home  it  was,  and  not  to  be  confounded  with 
those  refuges  for  paupers  of  which  every  one  has  read 
with  mingled  disgust  and  horror.  Indeed,  I,  having  spent 
a  night  there  during  the  War,  remember  it  as  a  pleasant 
place,  though  it  still  had  its  old  use. 

John  A.  Broadus  adds  another  to  the  long  list  of  boys 
born  in  the  country  and  reared  amid  "plain  living  and 
high  thinking"  who  have  won  success  and  honor.  We 
have  hints  in  his  own  writing  which  show  his  to  have 
been  a  boyhood  brightened  with  love  and  the  opportuni- 
ties of  satisfying  his  thirst  for  knowledge.  Books  were, 
indeed,  scarcer  than  afterwards,  but  they  were  eagerly 
pored  over  and  their  contents  mastered.  The  weekly 
paper,  too,  was  a  boon,  and  when  ministers  and  others 
were  entertained  in  his  father's  home,  he  was  keen  to 
observe  them  and  to  listen  to  their  conversation,  mak- 
ing his  own  reflections  on  both.  There  were  several 
brothers  and  sisters,  and  he  has  given  us  a  pleasant  pic- 
ture of  the  family,  with  their  books,  gathered  around  the 
fireside  during  the  long  winter  evenings,  and  of  his  going, 
just  before  bedtime,  without  a  light,  to  the  loft  for  apples, 
bumping  his  head,  perhaps,  but  able,  by  feeling,  to  choose 
the  mellowest  apples.  Those  of  us  who  knew  James 
Madison  Broadus  understand  with  what  a  good  and  noble 
brother  and  playmate  John's  boyhood  was  blessed.  The 
moral  and  religious  influence  of  that  home  was  the  best 
possible,  all  of  the  children  being  early  converted,  and 
one  of  the  girls  becoming  the  wife  of  a  minister.     One 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  233 

of  his  schoolmates  was  the  afterwards  celebrated  A.  P. 
Hill,  a  general  in  the  Confederate  Army  and  a  martyr 
to  the  "Lost  Cause."  Dr.  Broadus  once  said  to  me:  "It 
took  a  very  smart  boy  to  get  ahead  of  A.  P.  Hill  in  the 
class." 

While  still  a  youth,  and  with  modest  acquirements,  but 
thorough  as  far  as  he  had  gone,  John  became  a  country 
school-master,  that  stepping-stone,  with  so  many,  to 
higher  things.  His  school  was  in  Clarke  County,  at  the 
home  of  Mr.  Kerfoot.  He  once  said  in  my  presence: 
"I  was  a  hard  rider,  and  so  they  gave  me  a  mule." 

It  was  at  this  period  that  the  question  of  his  life  work, 
after  long  and  solemn  weighing,  was,  once  for  all,  de- 
cided. He  was  ambitious,  and  no  doubt  the  thought  of 
statesmanship  was  very  attractive.  He  had  also  a  love 
of  knowledge  for  its  sake  and  may  well  have  thought 
of  a  cloistered  existence  where  all  the  wealth  of  the 
world's  learning  would  be  spread  before  him.  He  must 
have  known,  too,  something  of  the  peculiar  trials  of  the 
Christian  ministry.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  had  taken 
duty  for  his  watch-word  and  felt  the  constraining  power 
of  the  love  of  Christ.  He  himself  tells  us  how,  after  one 
of  the  fervid  appeals  of  Poindexter,  who  had  portrayed 
as  only  he  could  the  heroic  sacrifice  of  the  first  Mrs. 
Judson  and  her  glorious  crown,  a  young  man  said,  with 
deep  but  suppressed  emotion :  "Brother  Poindexter,  it 
is  decided ;  I  must  preach."  That  young  man  was  no 
other  than  himself,  and  from  that  moment  he  looked  not 
back,  but  pressed  forward  with  his  characteristic  force 
of  character,  first  to  gain  the  needed  preparation  and 
then  to  fulfil  his  high  calling. 

He  must  have  been  in  his  .twentieth  year  when  his 
father,  in  1846,  partly  perhaps  to  secure  in  a  very  desir- 
able community  the  means  of  support,  but  chiefly,  no 
doubt,  to  give  him  the  best  facilities  for  acquiring  wide 


234         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

and  thorough  scholarship,  removed  to  the  University  of 
Virginia  and  took  charge  of  the  State  students'  boarding- 
house  on  Monroe  Hill.  Here  the  family  remained  four 
years,  the  father's  death  coinciding  with  the  graduation 
of  the  son,  who  carried  away  that  degree  of  M.  A.  so 
highly  esteemed  by  all  who  have  any  just  idea  of  the 
thorough  teaching  and  searching  examinations  of  that 
institution  whose  diploma  represents  nothing  less  than 
the  actual  attainments  of  the  student.  When  Joftn  A. 
Broadus  entered  the  University  the  number  of  students 
was  not  much  over  one  hundred  and  fifty,  but  from  that 
time  till  1856-7  the  number  rose  rapidly,  nearly  doubling 
before  he  left,  and  reaching  in  his  tutorial  years  nearly 
seven  hundred.  Many  of  the  students  at  that  time  were 
irreligious  and  wild,  but  there  were  not  wanting  men 
both  earnestly  pious  and  hard  and  successful  students; 
among  these  he  was  easily  first.  He  never  failed  to  an- 
swer a  question  in  the  class  and  to  answer  it  correctly. 
Two  of  the  professors  were  remarkable  men  and  exerted 
a  beneficent  influence  upon  him.  Dr.  McGuffey,  the  Pro- 
fessor of  Philosophy,  had  a  peculiar  power  to  awaken 
enthusiasm  in  his  students.  This  writer  often  found  him- 
self overcome  with  feeling  in  that  classroom  so  power- 
fully was  all  his  mental  machinery  set  into  operation. 
The  professor  relied  much  on  the  Socratic  method.  He 
was  not  satisfied  with  a  student's  telling  what  was  in 
the  text-book  or  in  the  lecture,  but  insisted  on  the  stu- 
dent's own  thoughts  on  the  subject  and  the  reasons  for 
them;  and  if  a  student  undertook  to  defend  an  erroneous 
view,  he  would  be  forced  by  his  own  answers  to  see  that 
it  led  to  a  palpably  false  conclusion.  One  day,  Broadus 
was  asked:  "What  do  you  think  of  the  author's  state- 
ment?" "I  have  never  thought  about  it."  "Think  about 
it  now  and  give  your  idea."  Dr.  Broadus  once  told  me 
that  that  moment  was  a  turning  point  in  his  life,  and  that 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  235 

he  then  felt,  for  the  first  time,  that  he  could  think  for 
himself  on  a  philosophical  problem.  He  was  greatly 
intluenced  by  Dr.  McGuffey  also  in  the  matter  of  public 
speaking.  The  professor  was  a  great  believer  in  the 
extempore  method ;  that  is,  in  free  speaking  without 
manuscript  after  a  thorough  mastery  of  the  subject.  He 
would  say  that  thus  the  language  was  better  and  the 
style  actually  more  concise,  and  he  sustained  his  view 
Ijy  reasons  based  on  the  working  of  the  mind.  We  all 
know  that  John  A.  Broadus  was  not  only  a  perfect  mas- 
ter of  assemblies,  but  an  earnest  advocate  of  free  speak- 
ing both  in  his  lectures  and  in  his  book  on  preaching. 

After  all.  not  metaphysics  but  language  was  his  forte. 
It  is  stated  that  when  he  entered  the  University  he  did 
not  know  a  letter  in  the  Greek  alphabet,  but  in  two  years 
had  mastered  the  language  so  as  to  graduate  in  it  with 
high  distinction.  In  this  department  of  study,  and  in 
other  directions,  he  was  powerfully  impressed  by  the 
mind  and  heart  of  Gessner  Harrison.  This  great  teacher 
had  studied  medicine,  but  when  Professor  Long  was 
about  to  return  to  England  he  said  to  the  trustees  there 
was  no  need  to  look  far  away  for  a  successor,  since  one 
of  his  former  students  was  admirably  fitted  to  fill  the 
place.  The  hint  was  acted  on,  and  Gessner  Harrison 
revolutionized  the  study  of  the  Ancient  Languages  in 
the  entire  South.  He  established  the  principles  of  these 
languages  through  a  wide  induction  from  their  litera- 
tures, substantially  as  the  laws  of  Natural  Science  are 
learned  by  the  observation  of  phenomena,  and  his  great 
work  on  Greek  Prepositions  was  read  with  delight  by 
that  American  scientist,  Lieutenant  Matthew  Maury, 
who,  no  Grecian,  yet  was  interested  in  it  for  its  scientific 
character.  His  Latin  Grammar,  if  not  suited  for  a  text- 
book, and  if  sometimes  fanciful,  is  yet  a  profoundly 
philosophical    book,    and    I    well    remember    finding    it, 


236         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

though  difficult,  the  reverse  of  dry.  Dr.  Harrison  not 
only  thought  for  himself,  but  was  an  original  investiga- 
tor, and  in  some  particulars  anticipated,  by  several  years, 
the  conclusions  of  the  greatest  German  philologists.  He 
was  full  of  good  sense  and  quiet  humor.  I  remember 
his  saying  once  to  the  class :  "Gentlemen,  I  think  Kikero 
is  the  right  pronunciation,*  but  do  not  pronounce  it  so 
when  you  go  from  here,  for  then  people  who  do  not  know 
will  think  you  don't  know."  Learned  in  the  classic 
tongues,  he  was  direct  in  his  style,  a  lesson  naturally 
learned  from  the  Greek,  and  there  was  a  beautiful, 
homely  simplicity  and  strength  in  his  character.  It  could 
not  but  be  that  the  young  man  who  was  his  pupil  and 
almost  son,  and  for  a  decade  directly  associated  with 
him,  should  be  greatly  influenced  by  him,  and,  while  no 
imitator,  reproduce  some  of  his  finest  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart.  Indeed,  Broadus'  indebtedness  to  both  of 
these  teachers  was  often  gratefully  and  publicly  acknowl- 
edged, while  the  dedication  of  his  "Commentary  on  Mat- 
thew" to  the  memory  of  Gessner  Harrison  was  as  heart- 
felt as  it  was  beautiful. 

Many  things  as  he  did  well,  he  was  not  a  universal 
genius,  and  had  not  a  turn  for  mathematics.  At  one 
point  in  the  course,  he  was  overwhelmed  with  discour- 
agement and  actually  wept.  It  was  not  the  need  of  hard, 
persevering,  painful  labor  that  daunted  him;  but  there 
are  problems  in  the  higher  mathematics  that  do  seem  to 
baffle  the  nonmathematical  mind,  no  matter  how  long  or 
earnestly  wrestled  with.  At  this  point  the  gentle  and 
learned  Courtenay,  who  adorned  that  chair,  knowing  how 
fine  a  student  he  had  to  deal  with  and  his  conspicuous 
success  in  other  lines,  so  heartened  and  helped  him,  that 
in  due  time  these  apparently  inaccessible  heights,  which 
have  proved  actually  inaccessible  to  many,  were  trium- 


*0f  the  name  of  Rome's  great  orator. 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  237 

l)hantly  scaled.  Dr.  Broadus  once  said  to  me :  "I  have 
forgotten  my  mathematics,  but  the  disciphne  gained  in 
the  study  is  invaluable." 

Great  as  was  his  indebtedness  to  these  teachers,  it  must 
not  be  overrated.  Let  it  but  be  remembered  how  many 
other  men  had  equivalent  advantages  without  the  fruits 
borne  by  him,  and  it  will  then  be  seen  how  strong  and 
fine  was  the  original  fiber  of  the  man  himself.  Super- 
added to  other  gifts,  he  had  what  in  many  respects  excels 
them  all — a  genius  for  hard,  persevering  labor.  He  had 
already  his  feet  on  the  rounds  of  "the  ladder  of  St.  Au- 
gustine," and  perfectly  descriptive  of  him  is  a  verse  of 
the  poet  slightly  paraphrased  : 

"The  heights  by  this  great  man  reached  and  kept 
Were  not  attained  by  sudden  flight, 
But  he,  while  his  companions  slept, 
Was  toiling  upward  in  the  night." 

Hard  student  as  he  was,  he  did  not  neglect  other 
means  of  improvement.  A  good  debating  society  may 
be  made  as  useful  to  a  student  as  the  teaching  of  the 
classroom.  His  mind  is  whetted  by  collision  with  other 
young  minds,  he  learns  self-control,  how  to  speak,  how 
to  argue,  and  how  to  answer  an  opponent.  Broadus  was 
a  member  of  the  "Jefferson,"  generally  the  largest  and 
most  important  of  the  two  Literary  Societies,  and  the 
vigor  and  keenness  of  his  speeches  are  still  remembered 
by  fellow-members  now  themseh-es  men  of  mark,  who 
even  then  predicted  for  him  a  great  future. 

And  not  only  in  things  of  the  intellect,  but  as  a  Chris- 
tian he  took  a  high  and  decided  stand,  and  was  serious, 
earnest,  irreproachable.  He  attended  and  participated  in 
the  weekly  prayer-meeting  and,  for  at  least  a  part  of  the 
time  he  spent  at  the  University,  conducted  a  Sunday 
school  in  a  destitute  neighborhood.  Very  likely  also  he 
preached  sometimes  to  the  servants.    This  last,  with  hard 


238         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

study,  was  a  fine  preparation  for  the  ministry  to  which 
he  was  looking  forward.  Dr.  McGuffey  used  to  say: 
"Read  Butler's  'Analogy'  and  preach  to  the  negroes." 
Perhaps,  however,  his  chief  usefulness  at  this  period  was 
due  to  example.  It  was  impossible  to  know  him  and 
associate  piety  and  dullness.  Indeed,  it  must  have  been 
patent  to  all  that  this  faithful  servant  of  God  was  also 
one  of  the  very  best  and  most  successful  of  students,  for 
he  had  no  superior,  and  perhaps  but  one  equal.  But  his 
religion  was  cheerful  and  bright,  so  that  even  the  younger 
and  gayer  men,  instead  of  being  repelled,  were  positively 
attracted  to  him  and  learned  to  love  as  well  as  revere 
him.  Thus  he  was,  in  that  interesting  community,  a 
power  for  piety  and  hard  work. 

The  following  passage  taken  from  a  tribute  by  Frank 
H.  Smith,  Professor  of  Natural  Science  at  the  Univer- 
sity for  nearly  half  a  centuiy,  gives  a  vivid  picture  of 
Broadus  at  that  time :  "My  first  meeting  with  him  was 
in  October,  1849,  at  the  students'  weekly  prayer-meeting, 
then  held  on  Sunday  afternoons  in  the  parlor  of  Mr. 
Addison  Maupin.  It  was  just  after  my  first  matricula- 
tion at  the  University.  At  a  certain  stage  of  the  meet- 
ing, a  student  of  striking  personal  appearance,  and  bright, 
dark  eyes  glowing  with  the  light  of  intellect,  rose  to  speak 
and  drew  the  attention  of  all.  I  was  at  once  impressed 
with  the  force,  propriety,  and  simplicity  of  his  brief  ut- 
terances. There  were  a  maturity  and  sense  in  what  he 
said  that  marked  him  as  no  common  student.  We  were 
thereafter  thrown  much  together.  We  often  met  at  Dr. 
Gessner  Harrison's  house,  being  attracted  thither  by  simi- 
lar reasons.  In  that  drawing-room  young  Broadus  could 
gratify,  besides,  his  uncommon  taste  for  and  enjoyment 
of  instrumental  and  vocal  music.  Indeed,  he  was  quite 
a  singer  himself,  and  while,  like  some  others  of  us,  he 
had  no  great  voice,  he  more  than  made  up  for  the  defi- 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  239 

ciency  by  the  thoroughness  of  his  knowledge  of  the  art 
of  music  and  the  precision  of  his  execution — quaHties 
which,  as  I  afterw^ards  found,  belonged  to  all  that  he  did 
in  every  department  of  effort.  We  were  both  members 
of  what  at  that  day  was  almost  the  only  outlet  of  regu- 
lated vocal  energy,  the  chapel  choir." 

Broadus  took  four  years  at  the  University,  when  he 
might  have  made  the  Master's  degree  in  three.  This  was 
wise,  because  work  done  with  deliberation  is  l)etter  done. 
Rapid  acquisition  of  knowledge  has  something  of  the 
nature  of  cramming  which  gets  up  subjects  for  only  mo- 
mentary use.  Then,  too,  the  time  needed  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia  for  good  results  depends  much  on  the 
amount  of  previous  and  special  preparation,  of  which  he 
seems  to  have  had  little.  Besides,  the  added  year  enabled 
him  to  take  certain  studies  and  review  others,  especially 
philosophy,  and  his'  home  and  dearest  interests  being  at 
the  University,  he  had  reason  to  prolong  rather  than 
shorten  his  stay. 

His  graduation  essay  was  remarkable  and  revealed  the 
influence  of  the  teaching  in  Philosophy.  What  he  once 
said  of  another  was  true  then  of  him,  that  men  often  do 
some  of  their  best  work  in  early  life,  availing  themselves 
of  all  their  finest  thought  acquisitions.  His  graduation 
was  quickly  followed  by  his  marriage  to  Miss  Maria,  eld- 
est daughter  of  Professor  Gessner  Harrison,  and  his  or- 
dination to  the  gospel  ministry.  This  service  took  place 
at  New  Salem  Church  in  1850,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  his  birthplace  and  early  home. 

Well  do  I  remember  my  first  meeting  with  Broadus. 
We  were  both  teaching  in  Fluvanna  County,  Virginia, 
he  a  private  school  at  General  Cocke's  place,  "Bremo," 
and  I  (just  graduated  from  Richmond  College)  an  "old 
field  school"  in  the  Fork  neighborhood.  We  met  in  1850 
at  the  James  River  Association.     I  tlien  for  the  first  time 


240         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

heard  him  preach,  his  text  being,  "O  foohsh  Galatians, 
who  hath  bewitched  you?"  and  a  very  bewitching  ser- 
mon it  was.  But  no  less  a  spell  did  he  cast  over  me  by 
his  manner  and  conversation.  He  accepted  me  at  once 
as  a  friend,  perhaps  for  my  father's  sake,  and  I  loved 
him  at  once  for  his  own.  He  had  come  on  horseback 
and  I  in  a  buggy  with  Mr.  Henson,  father  of  Dr.  P.  S. 
Henson,  who,  seeing  how  agreeable  it  would  be  to  us 
both,  very  amiably  gave  his  seat  in  the  carriage  to 
Broadus  and  took  the  horse,  which  was  rather  a  hard 
trotter.  That  long  ride  together,  which,  however,  seemed 
short,  being  so  pleasant,  cemented  our  friendship  more 
than  brief  interviews  during  a  series  of  years  could  have 
done.  It  is  certain  that  from  that  date  he  was  an  elder 
brother  to  me  and  treated  me  with  such  frank  kindness 
that  I  always  felt  perfectly  free  in  my  intercourse  with 
him.  His  six  years  of  seniority  and  more  than  propor- 
tional attainments  inspired  my  respect,  but  all  fear  was 
cast  out  by  perfect  love,  while  he  from  that  time  to  our 
last  meeting  in  the  autumn  of  1887  ever  called  me 
"George"  in  a  way  that  was  music  to  my  soul. 

One  little  incident  of  that  day  is  worth  mentioning. 
We  stopped  by  a  wayside  spring  to  drink,  and  when  I 
insisted  on  serving  him  first  he  made  a  mock  bow  nearly 
to  the  ground,  accompanying  it  with  some  playful  pro- 
test before  accepting  the  gourd.  Not  more  refreshing 
was  the  water  of  that  spring  than  the  gaiety  which  nat- 
urally welled  up  in  him  whenever  he  was  with  intimate 
friends  and  the  pressure  of  work  and  care  was  for  the 
moment  removed.  This  capacity  of  his,  so  pleasant  to 
all  who  enjoyed  his  companionship,  was  invaluable  to 
himself  as  relieving  the  strain  on  life's  "silver  cord." 

During  his  stay  in  Fluvanna,  he  preached  several  times 
at  the  Brick  Church,  people  gathering  from  far  and  near 
to  hear  him,  and  as  the  pastorate  was  vacant,  he  was  in- 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  241 

vited  to  it.  It  was  a  position  pleasant  and  important, 
but  one  of  the  brethren,  shrewder  than  the  rest,  saw  that 
the  brilHant  young  preacher  was  destined  to  a  lofty  flight 
and  could  not,  under  any  circumstances,  have  long  re- 
mained there.  In  fact,  he  was  probably  already  engaged 
to  return  to  the  University  as  Assistant  Professor  of  An- 
cient Languages.  At  his  suggestion,  the  Fork  Church 
called  his  brother-in-law,  the  late  Rev.  William  A. 
Whitescarver,  whom  he  ever  addressed  as  "Will,"  who 
served  it  long  and  well. 

While  teaching  at  the  University  he  was  pastor  of  the 
Charlottesville  Baptist  Church.  A  member  of  his  Greek 
class,  and  also  of  his  congregation,  I  had  excellent  oppor- 
tunities to  know  him.  His  leading  traits  then  were  a 
purpose  to  excel  in  his  work,  a  thirst  for  learning  for  its 
own  sake,  a  desire  for  usefulness  and  fine  tact.  He 
would  sometimes  send  me  a  note  inviting  me  to  his  study 
on  the  lawn,  and  I  have  now  before  me  a  clear  picture 
of  him  as  he  would  be  at  his  table  covered  with  lexicons 
and  other  books  of  reference,  a  shade  over  the  lamp  and 
one  over  his  eyes,  intense  seriousness  in  his  face ;  in  a 
word,  the  typical  hard  student.  He  already  had  the  stoop 
of  the  man  who  sits  much  at  a  desk,  and  w'hen  in  repose 
his  face  seemed  almost  sad.  There  was  much  to  do,  for, 
besides  the  preparation  of  two  sermons  for  Sunday  and 
other  pastoral  duties,  there  was  the  getting  ready  to  meet 
his  classes  and  the  drudgery  of  correcting  not  less  than 
a  hundred  exercises  every  week.  Besides  all  this,  he 
was  constantly  adding  to  his  knowledge  and  laying  broad 
and  deep  the  foundations  for  the  future.  Specially  was 
he  at  work  on  New  Testament  Greek,  bringing  to  it  his 
thorough  acquaintance  with  classic  Greek  and  using  all 
the  best  helps.  He  said  to  me  at  that  time:  "Though 
I  may  not  become  an  authority,  yet  I  wish  to  be  able, 
for  myself,   to    form   an   independent  judgment  on   all 


242         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

questions  of  New  Testament  interpretation."  As  yet  not 
many  books  were  on  his  shelves,  iDiit  he  was  already  be- 
ginning to  gather  a  first-rate  library,  getting  exactly  the 
tools  he  needed  and  only  the  best. 

In  the  classroom  he  simply  followed  the  tradition  of 
the  University,  rigidly  questioning  and  insisting  on  ex- 
actly correct  answers,  correcting  mistakes,  yet  using  the 
utmost  politeness  to  every  student,  no  matter  how  idle 
or  dull.  His  dignified  mien  prevented  disorder  and  his 
keen  wit  would  have  quelled  it  had  it  appeared.  Any 
slight  annoyance  he  could  abate  by  a  playful  subacid 
remark. 

Some  incidents  of  this  period  may  be  noted.  On  his 
return  from  the  Baptist  General  Association  at  Freder- 
icksburg, he  reported  to  me  the  sermon  he  had  preached. 
Text:  "What  lack  I  yet?"  For  evangelization  of  the 
world,  we  lack  (1)  Men,  (2)  Money,  (3)  Prayer.  I 
cried  out,  perhaps  impertinently,  against  such  a  perver- 
sion of  the  text,  alleging  a  dictum  of  my  father,  that  the 
exact  meaning  of  a  text  in  its  connection  should  be  given, 
and  the  sermon  be  in  accordance  with  that  meaning.  My 
superior  in  years  and  learning  not  only  took  the  criti- 
cism very  kindly,  but  ever  afterwards,  when  he  had  a 
chance  to  honor  the  critic  or  his  sons,  would  tell  the 
story.  In  his  book  on  preaching,  he  tells  of  that  sermon. 
One  day  a  friend  wrote  him  somewhat  thus :  At  least 
now  that  Brother  X  (a  preacher  of  ability  and  note)  is 
dead,  you  might  take  that  reference  to  his  sermon  out  of 
the  next  edition  of  your  book.  "No,"  he  replied,  "the 
reference  was  to  my  own  sermon."  It  seems  that  there 
was  more  than  one  sinner. 

When  he  got  back  from  the  first  meeting  of  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Convention  that  he  ever  attended,  and  which 
was  held  in  Baltimore,  I  found  him  much  depressed. 
Said  he,  "I  have  done  it.     Something  I  have  feared  has 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  243 

already  come  to  pass."  He  then  explained  that  a  certain 
Baptist  minister  was  known  to  feel  hostile  to  the  Uni- 
versity and  specially  to  Dr.  Harrison,  and  that  some  of 
the  hostility,  he  had  felt,  was  likely  to  be  transferred  to 
himself  as  so  closely  connected  with  both.  In  the  Con- 
vention a  slight  passage  at  arms  had  occurred  between 
the  two — really  nothing  in  itself  and  meaning  nothing  to 
the  brethren  at  large,  who  were  ignorant  of  the  preced- 
ing circumstances  and  so  without  the  key  to  the  situa- 
tion. The  question  before  the  body  was  between  annual 
and  biennial  sessions,  and  Broadus,  not  knowing  the  con- 
victions and  wishes  of  the  Boards  and  their  secretaries, 
put  in  a  plea  for  biennial  meetings.  Said  he,  in  illustrat- 
ing his  argument,  'Tf  the  session  were  annual,  I  would 
not  go  when  the  place  of  meeting  was  distant,  knowing 
that  next  year  it  would  probably  come  nearer."  The 
other  brother  took  the  opposite  side  and  said  that  even 
when  the  distinguished  gentleman  from  the  University 
could  not  attend,  the  meeting  might  still  be  held,  where- 
upon Broadus,  stung  by  the  sarcasm,  appealed  with  some 
warmth  to  the  President  for  protection  against  such  per- 
sonalities. The  incident,  trifling  in  itself,  would  hardly 
be  worth  mentioning  but  for  the  opportunity  of  referring 
to  Broadus'  subsequent  course  towards  this  individual. 
He  seemed  determined  to  disarm  him  of  prejudice  if  any 
really  existed,  and  during  a  long  course  never  failed  to 
say,  as  he  most  truthfully  could,  the  kindest  and  most 
complimentary  things  concerning  him  on  every  suitable 
public  occasion.  It  was  very  interesting  to  me,  the  only 
other  person  in  the  secret. 

Once  he  and  another  went  out  to  spend  the  evening 
and  night  at  the  hospitable  home  of  Rev.  William  P. 
Parish,  about  four  miles  from  the  University.  At  a 
pause  in  the  conversation,  the  other  got  hold  of  a  quarto 
dictionary  and,  treating  the  company  as  his  class,  began 


244         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

to  ask  for  the  spelling  and  meaning  of  words,  taking  care 
to  select  the  hardest  ones  for  Broadus.  Great  was  the 
surprise  of  the  others  that  he  could  neither  spell  nor  de- 
fine every  word,  but  he  was  much  amused,  and  then,  as 
ever  afterwards,  was  quite  willing  for  all  to  know  that 
he  did  not  know  everything.  On  a  much  later  occasion 
some  one  was  speaking  glibly  of  a  gargoyle.  "What  is 
a  gargoyle?"  he  asked,  'T  do  not  know,"  whereupon  it 
turned  out  that  the  person  using  it  had  a  rather  vague 
idea  of  its  meaning,  and  the  dictionary  was  referred  to. 

Still,  there  were  few  things  which  a  cultured  man 
ought  to  be  acquainted  with  that  he  did  not  know  even 
then,  and  he  was  a  keen,  though  kindly,  critic.  When  at 
a  Ministers  and  Deacons'  Meeting  in  Charlottesville, 
Brother  Whitescarv^er  had  used  one  of  the  words  incor- 
rectly, he  said :  "Obtain  an  object,  attain  an  end;"  and, 
about  the  same  time,  to  me,  Chry'sos-tom,  my  dear  fel- 
low, not  Chry-sos'tom." 

Pressed  as  he  was  with  double  duty,  his  preaching 
reached  the  high-water  mark,  and  the  little  Baptist 
Church  of  Charlottesville  was  always  crowded,  the  con- 
gregation including  numbers  of  students  and  often  pro- 
fessors as  well.  Never  can  I  forget  how  I  would  sit  en- 
wrapped in  his  eloquence  which  was  scarcely  surpassed 
afterwards,  however  much  he  may  have  grown.  I  think 
that  later  his  sermons  became  more  didactic  and  perhaps 
richer  in  the  exposition  of  Scripture,  but,  oh,  there  was 
then  a  freshness  and  fervor  and  a  flow  of  thought  and 
language,  and  sentences  from  his  lips  are  still  in  my 
memory  as  if  heard  yesterday. 

He  was  also  even  then  a  teacher  in  the  pulpit,  and  de- 
livered on  Sunday  nights  a  course  of  lectures  on  the 
Epistles  of  Paul,  not  dwelling  so  much  on  details  as  seek- 
ing to  show  the  movement  of  thought  and  general  scope 
of  each  letter,  and,  as  a  help,  he  had  printed  a  scheme  of 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  245 

the  lectures.  These  were  very  popular,  in  the  good  sense 
of  the  word,  with  the  more  thoughtful  part  of  his  audi- 
ence. 

Nor  did  he  confine  his  labors  to  the  pulpit,  but  was  a 
good  pastor,  in  his  own  way,  not  so  much  by  visiting, 
which  was  impossible,  as  by  seeking  here  and  there  to 
put  things  in  motion  or  have  others  better  done.  Some 
young  ladies  collected  a  little  fund,  enabling  him  to  put 
good  literature  where  it  would  be  useful.  Each  of  these 
had  a  little  note  in  his  hand  asking  for  a  contribution, 
with  the  characteristic  request :  "Please  do  not  give  un- 
less you  really  wish  to."  He  printed  and  circulated  a 
little  tract  of  his  own  on  "Giving,"  to  promote  mission 
collections.  When  I  took  charge  of  a  large  Sunday 
school  class  of  young  ladies,  he  gave  me  Robinson's 
"Harmony  of  the  Gospels" — his  own  gift. 

His  pastorate  gave  the  Charlottesville  Church  an  im- 
petus which  it  has  felt  ever  since.  The  increase  of  the 
congregation  led  to  the  building  of  the  spacious  house 
which  that  body  still  occupies.  A  number  of  young  men 
of  the  congregation,  since  useful  in  various  fields,  en- 
tered the  ministry  and  were  ordained  during  this  pastor- 
ate, and  many  other  persons  had  their  lives  shaped  for 
weal  and  usefulness  through  his  ministry.  He  soon  be- 
came the  most  important  man  in  this  limited  but  inter- 
esting community,  as  he  afterwards  was  in  others  much 
larger. 

From  the  first  he  exalted  God's  Word,  seeking  to  know 
its  contents  and  meaning  and  promoting  in  every  way  its 
reverential  and  faithful  study.  Hearing  that  Rev.  Dr. 
Stockton,  a  Methodist  minister  of  Baltimore,  was  pub- 
lishing the  Bible  in  several  separate  volumes  and  in  the, 
then  little  used,  paragraph  form,  he  was  much  interested 
and  entered  into  correspondence  with  him  to  offer  co- 
operation and  to  avail  himself  of  the  advantage  offered. 


246         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

His  address  on  ''Reading  the  Bible,"  delivered  soon  after 
before  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  Lynchburg,  is  truly  masterly 
and  practically  helpful.  The  very  title,  as  well  as  that 
of  his  book  on  "Homiletics,"  is  significant.  He  always 
preferred  the  most  every-day  words.  It  was  somewhat 
the  fashion  then  to  decry  the  use  of  Biblical  Commen- 
taries, but  he  warmly  favored  it,  believing  that  even  a 
poor  Commentary,  properly  used,  might  be  helpful,  both 
to  get  at  the  meaning  of  the  text  and  to  impress  the  text 
itself  on  the  mind.  He  used  to  urge  the  reading  of  the 
Book  of  Revelation,  even  if  all  of  it  was  not  understood. 
My  own  experience  as  a  child  showed  me  how  impressive 
and  useful  certain  parts  of  the  Bible  were  when  read  rev- 
erently, though  with  an  imperfect  conception  of  their 
meaning. 

Having  preached  and  delivered  an  address  on  edu- 
cation in  Richmond  on  the  occasion  of  the  meeting  of 
the  Baptist  General  Association  of  Virginia,  he  won  all 
hearts  and  began  to  receive  calls  to  large  and  influential 
churches.  Among  these  invitations  was  one  to  serve 
Grace  Street  Church,  Richmond,  during  the  year  or  more 
of  the  pastor's  absence  in  Europe,  the  pastor  himself,  Dr. 
Kingsford,  earnestly  desiring  Broadus  for  his  substitute. 
The  reason  he  assigned  to  me  for  not  accepting  this  other- 
wise pleasant  position  was  that  where  a  substitute  at  all 
succeeded  there  was  always  danger  of  unpleasantness  for 
church  or  pastor.  But,  after  all,  why  should  he  leave 
Charlottesville  for  any  pastorate  elsewhere?  He  had  al- 
ready made  his  life  plan,  viz.,  to  be  a  pastor  for  several 
years  and  then  devote  himself  to  teaching.  And  how 
marvelously  did  this  early  formed  life  scheme  and  his 
University  preparation  dovetail  into  the  need  that  was 
arising  and  the  place  which  God  was  preparing  for  this 
divinely  prepared  man ! 

My  own  years  after  leaving  the  University  were  spent 
in  Baltimore  and  Staunton,  but  I  kept  in  touch  with  my 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  247 

even  then  revered  friend,  often  my  mentor,  through  cor- 
respondence, and,  specially  while  in  the  latter  city,  by 
means  of  exchanging  visits,  while  he  was  University  of 
Virginia  Chaplain  and  pastor  in  Charlottesville.  I 
greatly  regret  the  loss  of  his  letters  of  that  period.  Sev- 
eral of  us  students,  but  specially  William  Dinwiddie 
(afterwards  so  able  and  useful  as  a  Presbyterian  minis- 
ter) and  I,  were  much  troubled  on  the  subject  of  future 
punishment,  and  certain  writings  of  John  Foster  had 
done  us  both  harm.  While  pastor  in  Baltimore,  I  was 
still  greatly  distressed  in  seeking  to  form  a  Theodicy  and 
find  a  solid  basis  for  my  faith.  Perhaps  I  had  been  too 
daring  in  my  speculations,  but  it  was  impossible  to  preach 
even  on  the  simplest  subject  without  feeling  the  ground 
firm  under  my  feet  down  to  the  bed  rock.  This  reference 
to  myself  must  be  pardoned,  as  necessary  to  explain  a  part 
of  what  follows.  Broadus  wrote  suggesting  that,  instead 
of  Foster,  a  more  healthful  writer,  such  as  Dr.  Arnold, 
should  be  read,  and  mentioned  a  volume  of  Archbishop 
Whately,  in  which  this  life  is  considered  as  the  mere 
childhood  of  our  being  and,  therefore,  the  period  of  trust 
in  our  Heavenly  Father  as  to  many  dark  and  mysterious 
subjects.  He  made  a  playful  but  not  uncomplimentary 
thrust,  suggesting  that  my  mind  somewhat  resembled 
John  Foster's,  only  that  the  mold  was  smaller  and  a  bit 
dented.  Without  accepting  this  view  as  far  as  a  com- 
pliment is  implied,  I  rejoice  in  that,  whereas  that  great 
thinker's  habitual  mood  was  gloomy  and  pessimistic,  my 
own,  since  I  got  out  of  the  fogs  of  youthful  doubt,  has 
been,  thank  God,  habitually  bright  and  cheerful. 

If  Broadus  himself  had  ever  been  much  troubled  with 
doubts  or  intellectual  difficulties,  they  must  have  been 
very  early  gotten  rid  of,  and,  as  he  had  no  undesirable 
eccentricities,  there  was,   from  the  first,  as  ever  after- 


248         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

acter  or  conduct  to  diminish  his  influence  and  power  for 
good,  so  that  all  the  good  he  did,  and  how  much  and  of 
how  many  kinds  it  was,  remained  clear  gain,  with  no  tare 
to  be  deducted.  Almost  equally  was  it  in  his  favor  that 
he  understood  his  limitations  and  knew  what  he  could 
not,  quite  as  well  as  what  he  could,  do.  His  having  been 
the  first  of  our  preachers  to  come  before  the  public  with 
the  halo  of  a  splendid  University  career  on  his  head,  was 
undoubtedly  much  in  his  favor  at  the  start,  but  it  would 
have  availed  little  but  for  his  sterling  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart  and  the  acquisitions  of  that  career. 

Another  of  his  letters  at  that  period  hit  off  an  early, 
and  may  be  later,  fault  of  mine — carelessness  about  dress. 
J.  W.  M.  Williams,  meeting  Broadus,  reported  on  me, 
and  the  latter  drew  a  humorously  exaggerated  picture  of 
my  appearance,  closing  with  an  injunction  to  me  to  have 
a  good  laugh  thereat. 

Later  he  helped  me  in  a  very  useful  protracted  meet- 
ing at  Staunton.  In  going  to  that  infant  church,  I  men- 
tioned to  Dr.  Jeter  that  there  were  no  leading  members, 
to  which  he  replied  that  this  did  not  matter  if  there  were 
following  members,  as  the  pastor  could  lead.  In  fact, 
a  better  church  in  this  latter  regard  there  never  was. 
The  brethren  and  sisters  were  ever  ready  to  do  anything 
I  asked  them,  at  which  I  was  pleased  and  proud.  There 
was  danger  that  I  would  not  be  careful  enough,  and 
Broadus  saw  the  danger  and  gave  me  a  hint  of  it,  warn- 
ing me  not  to  be  like  Louis  XIV  of  France,  who  said, 
"L'etat  c'  est  moi."     (I  am  the  state.) 

One  night  during  the  meeting,  circumstances  rendered 
it  impossible  for  him  to  go  over  his  notes  before  preach- 
ing. It  was  suggested  to  take  them  with  him  to  the  pul- 
pit, but  he  declined,  saying  that  much  of  the  impressive- 
ness  of  free  preaching  was  sacrificed  if  the  people  saw 
a  manuscript. 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  249 

He,  at  that  period,  possibly  afterwards,  made  his  notes 
on  a  half  sheet  of  foolscap  paper  folded  lengthways,  and 
a  sheaf  of  these  skeletons,  always  neatly  kept  and  la- 
beled, looked  like  so  many  sheriff's  bills. 

His  sermons,  as  preached,  seemed  so. faultless  and  com- 
plete, that  I  supposed  he  never  forgot  and  left  out  any- 
thing he  meant  to  say,  but  he  once  told  me  that  this  oc- 
curred not  infrequently,  and  a  friend  recounts  that, 
spending  the  night  with  him  after  he  had  preached  on 
an  interesting  occasion.  Broadus  was  quite  unhappy  about 
a  passage  which  had  thus  dropped  out  of  the  discourse. 
According  to  Dr.  McGufifey,  the  thing  forgotten  were 
better  omitted,  as  likely  not  to  be  logically,  and,  therefore, 
naturally,  connected  with  the  rest.  Whether  this  be  so 
or  not,  it  would  always  be  better  to  leave  out  matter 
called  for  by  the  notes,  but  not  apropos,  or  if  time  were 
short  and  people  beginning  to  be  weary.  This  last,  how- 
ever, could  not  be  when  he  was  the  preacher. 

He  did  not  at  first  accept  a  place  in  the  new  Theo- 
logical Seminary ;  it  attracted  him  strongly,  but  there 
were  reasons  for  waiting,  and  he  wanted  to  be  sure  be- 
fore taking  so  important  a  step.  His  going  at  all  de- 
pended upon  the  organization  adopted.  With  Boyce's 
"Three  Changes  in  Theological  Schools"  he  was  heartily 
in  sympathy,  one  of  them  being  in  striking  accord  with 
the  University  of  Virginia  plan  of  instruction;  but  there 
was  an  idea  with  some  that  at  least  one  old,  well-known 
man  should  be  appointed,  and  the  name  of  the  elder  Basil 
Manly  had  been  presented.  This,  Broadus  confided  to 
me,  would  be  an  insuperable  objection  to  his  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Faculty,  for,  argued  he,  we  should  all 
be  so  much  in  awe  of  our  superior  in  age  and  reputation 
that  w^e  could  not  be  our  truest,  best  selves.  He  was 
wise  in  this,  and  it  was  for  the  best  that  (to  use  his  own 
descriptive  words)  the  professors  were  "all  boys  to- 
gether." 


250         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

He  found  it  easy  to  like  Greenville,  and  wrote  me : 
"The  Baptists  of  South  Carolina  are  as  much  like  Vir- 
ginia Baptists  as  one  pea  is  like  another."  Of  his  work 
at  the  Seminary  and  of  his  books  others  have  told  and  will 
tell,  as  also  of  his  country  pastorate,  his  connection  with 
the  Sunday  School  Board  formed  during  the  War,  and 
of  his  mission  to  Lee's  army.  I  know  something  of  his 
privations  during  that  dark  time,  and  of  the  sacrifice 
made  for  the  Seminary  then  and  afterwards  when  he  had 
only  to  yield  to  shining  inducements  pressed  upon  him 
in  order  to  enjoy  every  comfort  and  opportunity.  No 
doubt  he  was  in  the  place  that  suited  him,  but  still  the 
sacrifice  was  real  and  great,  and  is  a  triumphant  answer 
to  the  popular  sneer  that  ministers  feel  it  their  duty  to 
go  where  the  salary  is  largest.  He  had  been  somewhat 
slow  to  take  hold  of  the  Seminary,  but  he  held  on  till 
death — his  death — and  till  the  fortunes  of  the  School, 
financially  and  still  more  morally,  were  out  of  danger. 
Having  served  it  in  so  many  other  ways,  he  proved  a 
successful  agent  and  raised  thousands  of  dollars  for  it, 
both  at  the  North  and  in  the  South.  Dr.  Boyce  once  said 
to  me :  "The  brethren  think  of  Broadus  as  a  fine 
preacher  and  professor,  but  he  is  also  a  splendid  financier 
as  well." 

During  the  War  he  began  to  prepare  his  ''Commentary 
on  Matthew,"  designing  to  cover  the  four  Gospels,  and 
well  do  I  remember  his  reading  me  the  passage  describ- 
ing the  scene  of  John's  baptizing,  and  saying  that  he  had 
constantly  in  his  eye  men  like  Dr.  Jeter,  of  high  intelli- 
gence, but  not  learned  in  the  ancient  languages. 

After  the  commencement  exercises  of  1886  we  went 
with  two  or  three  students  to  a  cafe  for  refreshments. 
Relieved,  no  doubt,  that  another  period  of  pressing  work 
was  successfully  finished,  he  was  in  fine  spirits  and  play- 
ful as   a  boy  without   any   sacrifice   of   propriety.      He 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  251 

quoted  to  the  young  theologues  some  one's  etymology  of 
the  word  rcstmirant,  deducing  it  from  taurus  (Greek), 
a  bull,  and  res  (Latin),  a  thing;  result,  restaurant — a 
bully  thing.  When  I  uttered  the  name  of  the  poet  Keats, 
as  if  it  were  pronounced  Kates,  he  inquired  if  that  was 
the  usage  in  England,  and  I  had  to  confess  that  it  was 
only  my  own  caprice,  and  the  boys  were  highly  amused 
at  the  clever  way  in  which  he  had  pulled  me  up ;  but  I 
had  my  revenge  later  when  he  spoke  of  the  Eustachian 
tube,  pronouncing  it  as  if  it  were  Eustatchian,  whereas  I, 
owning  my  deafness  to  that  organ,  and  passing  daily  in 
Rome  the  Square  of  St.  Eustachius,  deserved  no  credit 
for  knowing  that  the  ch  had  the  force  of  k. 

Twice  more  was  I  to  see  him  ere  my  return  to  Rome, 
once  when  he  rode  out  to  the  University  of  Virginia  par- 
sonage to  visit  me,  and  we  sat  under  the  trees ;  and  a 
little  later,  when  he  delivered  the  James  Thomas  Memo- 
rial address  in  Richmond.  On  the  former  occasion  he 
tenderly  urged  me  to  remain  some  time  in  the  home-land 
for  a  period  of  perfect  rest;  and  when  I  said  that  I  would 
have  no  means  of  living,  he  added :  "Draw  the  salary 
all  the  same,"  citing  half  jovially  his  own  course: 
"When  they  have  gotten  all  the  work  they  can  out  of  me, 
'tis  but  just  that  I  be  turned  out  to  graze." 

The  address  referred  to  he  read  from  MS.,  as  he  had 
done  that  on  A.  M.  Poindexter,  and  he  read  both  of 
them  as  well  as  if  he  had  been  reading  his  sermons  all 
his  hfe.  I  was  struck  wdth  the  orderly  way  in  which 
each  sheet,  when  finished,  was  so  placed  as  to  leave  them 
at  the  end  in  their  original  form.  When  I  expressed 
my  enjoyment  of  the  address,  he  accepted  the  tribute  in 
a  very  cordial  manner.  On  that  and  on  similar  occasions, 
his  way  of  receiving  congratulations  recalled  to  my  mind 
the  words  about  Lord  Macaulay  by  his  younger  sister : 
"I  hke  so  much  tlie  manner  in  which  lie  receives  compli- 


252         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MLNISTERS 

ments.  He  does  not  pretend  to  be  indifferent,  but  smiles 
in  his  kind  and  animated  way,  with  T  am  sure  it  is  very- 
kind  of  you  to  say  so,'  or  something  of  that  nature." 
The  truth  is,  while  hating  flattery,  one  always  likes  ap- 
preciation, specially  from  friends,  and  Dr.  Broadus  was 
too  sincere  a  man  not  to  show  any  gratification  felt.  If 
it  is  sweet  to  be  "praised  by  the  praised,"  much  more  is 
it  to  be  praised  by  those  whom  we  love  and  of  whose  love 
we  are  sure. 

I  will  now  mention  some  other  of  the  distinctive  traits 
in  the  character  of  John  A.  Broadus,  as  revealed  to  me 
in  an  acquaintance  of  nearly  half  a  century. 

He  always  held  the  conservative,  and  what  might  be 
called  the  distinctively  vSouthern,  conception  and  senti- 
ment concerning  woman.  When,  at  a  church  in  Flu- 
vanna, a  girl  in  bloomer,  or  semi-bloomer,  costume  was 
seen,  he  expressed  his  disgust  most  strongly.  I  recall 
his  note  to  the  Religious  Herald,  protesting  against  the 
"tilting  skirt"  and  begging  every  woman  reader  to  set 
her  face  against  all  such  fashions.  His  views  as  a  Chris- 
tian teacher  concerning  women's  speaking  in  public  as- 
semblies, harmonized  perfectly  with  his  feelings  on  the 
subject. 

He  was  a  great  worker,  and  his  work  was  done  as  a 
fine  art.  His  intellectual  growth  and  activity  resembled 
not  a  wild  and  tangled  mass  of  vegetation,  but  the 
trained  and  cultivated  and,  therefore,  largely  fruitful 
vine. 

Varied  were  the  manifestations  of  his  sturdy  inde- 
pendence. As  a  State  student,  or  as  a  candidate  for  the 
ministry,  he  had  been,  like  all  others  such,  exempted  from 
the  payment  of  tuition  fees  at  the  University  of  Virginia; 
nevertheless,  he  paid  them  with  his  earliest  earnings  after 
leaving  that  institution.  He  was  never  ashamed  or  afraid 
to  confess  a  mistake.     Once  when  I   found  him  doing 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  253 

what  he  had  once  condemned,  I  asked :  "What  have  you 
to  say  about  it?"  and  he  rephed :  "Only  this,  that  I 
was  wrong,  and  have  learned  better."  He  evidently  be- 
lieved, with  Goethe,  that  the  confession  of  a  past  error 
only  means  that  we  have  grown  in  character  and  gotten 
new  light. 

His  voice,  though  not  very  strong,  was  singularly 
sweet,  and  was  a  source  of  power  in  conversation  and  in 
public  speech,  while  his  easy  flow  of  choice  language,  his 
evident  conviction,  his  modesty  which  disarmed  criti- 
cism, and  his  historical  imagination,  together  with  the 
tenderest  pathos,  made  him  the  prince  of  preachers ;  yet, 
when  all  is  said,  one  feels  that  every  attempt  at  analysis 
or  description  is  inadequate.  We  inhale  with  delight  the 
fragrance  of  the 
vey  it  to  another. 

It  has  been  said  that  he  was  not  original ;  perhaps  not, 
in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  word,  for  not  one  man  in  a 
generation,  the  world  over,  is  original ;  but  in  another 
and  as  good  a  sense,  he  was  original,  standing  more  sig- 
nally and  grandly  alone  in  his  whole  make-up  and  career 
and  position  among  the  brotherhood  than  any  of  his  con- 
temporaries, at  least  in  our  Southland. 

His  superiority  was  rather  in  description  and  on  ques- 
tions involving  knowledge  than  in  the  realm  of  thought ; 
and,  it  seems  to  me,  of  his  published  discourses,  the  his- 
torical and  biographical  addresses  are  of  a  higher  order 
than  the  sermons.  For  effectiveness  when  preached, 
which  was  their  true  aim  and  end,  these  last  are  unsur- 
passed ;  while  as  literature  they  might,  in  the  judgment 
of  some,  suffer  in  comparison  with  the  published  sermons 
of  Richard  Fuller. 

He  was  a  matchless  host  and  abounded  ever  in  what 
William  Wirt  called  the  "sweet,  small  courtesies  of  life," 
and  his  manner  towards  the  gentler  sex  was  fine. 


254         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

All  that  he  was  in  mien  had  its  source  in  a  naturally- 
kind  heart  under  the  influence  of  divine  grace.  He  al- 
ways saw  the  best  in  one  and  was  ready  to  say  an  en- 
couraging word  to  and  of  one.  In  my  early  ministry  I 
wrote  for  the  Religions  Herald  an  article,  entitled  "Blue 
Monday,"  the  object  of  which  was  to  show  that  in  every 
sphere  of  life  ideals  failed  of  perfect  realization.*  I 
signed  it  "Rolyat"  and  it  was  published  on  the  fourth 
page  of  the  paper.  What  was  my  pleased  surprise  to 
receive  a  few  days  later  a  letter  somewhat  thus :  "Many 
thanks  for  'Blue  Monday.'  John  A.  Broadus."  This 
and  other  generous  notice  taken  of  my  pen  work  led  me 
whenever  I  wrote  anything  to  think  of  him  and  of  the 
impression  he  would  receive  from  it,  and  it  was  a  stimu- 
lus alike  to  heart  and  head. 

His  tact  and  thoughtful  courtesy  prevented  or  dis- 
armed envy.  When  he  got  his  D.  D.  he  said  to  some  of 
his  juniors :  "Your  turn  will  come."  He  never  got 
above  his  old  friends  in  spirit,  high  above  them  as  he 
soared.  He  was  my  oldest,  best,  dearest  friend,  helpful 
alike  in  word  and  deed.  There  was  this  God-like  char- 
acter in  his  friendship  that  while  he  loved  many,  he 
loved  all  heartily,  though  differently,  and  each  one  was 
so  sure  of  being  warmly,  tenderly  beloved  as  to  feel 
neither  fear  nor  jealousy.  The  Greek  saying,  "Many 
friends,  no  friend,"  was  disproved  by  his  large-hearted, 
appreciative  friendship  for  so  many  and  so  widely  dif- 
ferent men. 

His  whole  life  and  being  were  dominated  by  a  loyal, 
reverential  love  to  Jesus  Christ,  of  whose  love  to  himself 
he  had  no  doubt.  He  was  a  man  purified  in  the  furnace 
of  affliction,  having,  as  he  once  wrote  me,  experienced 
every  form  of  bereavement,  and  the  Refiner  could  see 
in  him  His  own  face. 


*The  theme  was  suggested  by  my  brother,  C.  E.  Taylor. 


JOHN  A.  BROADUS  255 

Late  in  the  evening  of  the  first  day  of  November,  I 
stood  by  the  graves  of  Boyce,  Manly,  and  John  A. 
Broadns,  the  latest  grave  of  the  three.  The  western  sky 
was  aglow  with  the  departed  sun  and  the  moon  was 
shining  in  the  East.  A  chill  was  in  the  air  and  a  chill 
would  have  been  in  my  heart  but  for  the  blissful  certainty 
— Boyce,  Manly,  John  A.  Broadus,  are  "with  Christ, 
which  is  far  better." 

George  B.  Taylor. 

Rome,  Italy,  June  3,  1896. 


THOMAS  NICHOLAS  JOHNSON 

This  sketch  is  based  on  an  article  by  Rev.  Dr.  L.  R. 
Thornhill  in  the  Religious  Herald  upon  the  Hfe  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Nicholas  Johnson.  He  was  born  June  20,  1812, 
in  Buckingham  County,  Virginia,  near  Mount  Zion  Bap- 
tist Church.  Although  his  parents  were  not  Christians, 
he  early  made  a  profession  of  his  faith  in  Jesus.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  eight  years  old,  leaving  a  widow 
and  two  sons.  He  was  convicted  of  his  sins  at  a  meeting 
when  the  venerable  minister,  walking  down  the  aisle  and 
speaking  to  persons  about  their  souls,  said  to  him: 
"Young,  Tommie,  but  not  too  young  to  die."  The  boy 
had  prepared  an  answer  for  the  preacher,  but  he  had  been 
approached  at  an  unguarded  point ;  the  arm  of  convic- 
tion had  reached  him.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  took 
a  decided  stand  for  Jesus,  and  three  years  later  deter- 
mined to  become  a  minister.  He  went  first  to  Humanity 
Hall  Academy  and  then  to  what  is  now  Richmond  Col- 
lege. 

In  July,  1836,  he  was  ordained,  the  presbytery  consist- 
ing of  Elders  P.  P.  Smith,  William  Moore,  and  Joseph 
Jenkins.  After  laboring  as  a  missionary  of  the  General 
Association  of  Virginia,  in  1837  he  accepted  a  call  to 
Sharon,  Mulberry  Grove,  and  Enon  Churches,  in  Buck- 
ingham County,  Virginia.  He  remained  as  pastor  at 
Sharon  seventeen  years ;  at  Mulberry  Grove,  with  two 
short  breaks,  for  fifty-seven  years ;  at  Enon  first  only  a 
short  time,  but  later  was  there  for  eleven  years,  and  still 
later  for  twenty-one  years.  His  other  pastorates  were 
at  Fairmount  and  Mount  Shiloh,  in  Nelson  County,  and 
Hebron  and  Liberty  Chapel,  in  Appomattox  County.    He 

256 


THOMAS  NICHOLAS  JOHNSON  257 

was  pastor  of  this  last-named  church  ahnost  forty-one 
years.  This  was  probably  his  most  satisfactory  pastor- 
ate and  here  he  did  his  best  work.  His  ministry  covered 
a  period  of  sixty-three  years.  The  country  pastorate  has 
its  compensations  and,  along  with  the  exposure  of  long 
cross-country  rides,  comes  also  physical  vigor.  Brother 
Johnson  had  a  magnificent  physique,  standing  six  feet 
two  inches  tall.  Upon  one  occasion  a  wicked  fellow 
threatened  this  man  of  God  with  personal  violence  if  he 
preached  at  a  certain  time  and  place ;  but  he  did  preach 
at  that  place  and  time,  nor  was  he  molested. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  patient  and  careful  in  his  prepa- 
ration; clear,  logical,  simple  in  his  presentation  of  the 
truth.  He  was  felicitous  in  his  use  of  illustrations  and 
effective  in  his  quotations  from  the  Bible.  While  by 
nature  timid  and  shrinking,  this  weakness  was  not  a  hin- 
drance to  him  in  the  pulpit.  Since  he  was  called  by 
conviction  to  deliver  his  message,  he  did  not  fear  the  face 
of  man,  and  his  appeal  was  to  men's  consciences.  He  had 
many  traits  of  character  which  helped  to  make  him  an 
excellent  pastor.  While  strong  and  fearless  in  his  con- 
victions as  to  the  truth,  he  was  affectionate  and  as  gentle 
as  a  woman.  While  utterly  devoid  of  anything  approach- 
ing to  "gush,"  the  cordial  grasp  of  his  hand  and  the 
genial  light  of  his  eyes  brought  wamith  and  strength. 
He  was  fond  of  children  and  went  with  blessing  into 
the  homes  of  rich  and  poor  alike.  His  wisdom  and  dis- 
cretion made  his  ear  a  safe  repository  for  the  secrets  and 
sorrows  and  troubles  of  his  people.  He  entered  into  the 
joys  and  sorrows  of  his  flock,  whom  he  bound  to  him 
with  hooks  stronger  than  steel. 

He  was  married  three  times.  Of  the  first  marriage 
only  two  children  lived  to  maturity.  The  daughter  be- 
came the  wife  of  Rev.  Dr.  J.  A.  Mundy.  Of  the  two 
children  of  the  second  marriage,  one  became  the  wife  of 


17 


258         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Rev.  Dr.  W.  J.  Shipman.  The  eight  children  of  the  third 
marriage  all  lived  to  the  estate  of  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. His  home  was  a  happy  one.  For  many  years  he 
lived  on  his  own  farm,  in  a  comfortable  dwelling,  not  far 
from  his  Mulberry  Grove  Church. 

He  once  expressed  the  desire  that  he  might  die  at 
home  in  his  own  bed.  This  desire  was  granted  to  him. 
After  two  months  upon  a  bed  of  sickness,  during  which 
time  he  displayed  not  only  patience,  but  even  ecstatic  joy, 
he  was  called  to  his  heavenly  reward  on  September  13, 
1894. 


MELZI  S.  CHANCELLOR 

The  Religions  Herald  of  April  4,  1895,  contained  a 
sketch  of  Rev.  Melzi  S.  Chancellor,  and  the  Minutes  of 
the  General  Association  for  the  same  year  his  obituary. 
These  papers  were  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  Dr.  T.  S.  Dun- 
away.  No  other  material  has  been  secured,  so  this  sketch 
is  practically  a  reproduction  of  these  articles.  Melzi  S. 
Chancellor  was  born  in  Spottsylvania  County,  Virginia, 
June  29,  1815.  While  living  in  Baltimore  with  his  uncle, 
Mr.  Lorman,  and  clerking  for  him,  he  made  a  profes- 
sion of  religion.  His  ordination  took  place  at  the  Wilder- 
ness Church,  Spottsylvania  County,  and  for  more  than 
half  a  century  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  his  busi- 
ness. He  was  pastor  of  the  following  churches  in  the 
Goshen  Association  for  longer  or  shorter  periods :  Wil- 
derness, Piney  Branch,  Mine  Road,  Salem,  Goshen. 
Craig's,  Eley's  Ford,  and  New  Hope.  Of  this  last-named 
church  he  was  the  loved  and  honored  pastor  for  thirty 
years.  Some  of  these  churches  were  organized  by  him, 
and  the  meeting-houses  in  which  they  worshiped  were 
built  largely  through  his  personal  gifts  and  liberality. 
He  was  a  beneficent  man,  and  besides  these  gifts,  he  dis- 
pensed a  large  amount  of  charity  without  ostentation. 
He  was  instrumental  in  leading  many  souls  to  Christ. 
Few  ministers  of  the  gospel  baptized,  married  and  buried 
as  many  persons  as  he  did.  He  belonged  to  that  honor- 
able and  useful  class  of  the  human  family  who,  with 
good  minds,  industrious  habits,  kind  hearts,  noble  aims, 
sterling  principles,  and  strong  faith,  are  useful  in  their 
day  and  generation ;  shining  examples  to  the  young,  cher- 
ished and  honored  members  of  society,  whose  deeds  and 

259 


260         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

memories  are  worthy  to  be  held  in  everlasting  remem- 
brance. While  he  was  a  pronounced  Baptist  and  confi- 
dently believed  their  principles  and  practices  were  in 
harmony  with  the  teachings  of  the  word  of  God,  yet  he 
had  a  broad  charity  for  all.  and  loved  all  Christians,  by 
whatever  name  called,  and  freely  accorded  to  others  the 
right  to  interpret  the  word  of  God  for  themselves. 

He  was  a  useful  citizen.  He  rendered  valuable  service 
to  his  State  and  county,  filling  most  acceptably  several 
positions  of  trust.  He  was  a  patriot  and  loved  his  State 
and  country.  True  to  the  cause  of  the  South  in  the 
war  between  the  States,  he  suffered  a  long  imprisonment 
as  a  citizen  hostage,  in  consequence  of  his  loyalty  to  his 
State  and  section.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Miss  Lucy  Frazier,  and  his  second,  to  whom 
he  was  married  October  20,  1886.  and  who  survived  him, 
was  Miss  Bettie  W.  Caldwell.  Six  children  were  bom 
of  the  first  marriage,  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 
In  the  good  providence  of  God  his  last  years  were  years 
of  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  comfort.  He  had  the 
means  needed  for  his  physical  comfort,  and  his  last  years 
were  bright  by  reason  of  a  conscious  fellowship  with  his 
Saviour  and  a  pleasing  prospect  of  a  blissful  immor- 
tality. After  a  brief  illness,  he  died  at  his  home  in  Fred- 
ericksburg on  February  20,  1895. 


R.  H.  W.  BUCKNER 

R.  H.  W.  Buckner  was  born  in  Caroline  County,  Vir- 
ginia, December  9,  1810.  The  county  of  his  birth  was 
his  home  and  the  sphere  of  the  larger  part  of  his  life's 
labors.  He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Lawrence  Battaile  and 
soon  afterwards  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Rappahannock  Academy,  and  for 
some  years  was  associate  principal  with  Charles  Lewis. 
He  was  useful  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  preaching 
and  doing  other  ministerial  work.  In  1840  he  was  the 
founder  of  Round  Oak  Church,  Caroline,  and,  accord- 
ing to  one  account,  its  pastor  for  many  years.  Another 
record  says  he  was  never  pastor  of  any  church.  During 
the  declining  years  of  Rev.  James  D.  Coleman,  he  was 
selected  as  supply  pastor  for  Mr.  Coleman's  whole  field, 
having  already  been  for  some  years  Mr.  Coleman's  as- 
sistant at  Liberty  Church.  For  fourscore  and  five  years 
he  lived  in  the  same  community,  and  by  his  talents,  his 
acquirements,  and  his  personal  integrity  had  large  influ- 
ence among  the  people.  As  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  he 
ofiiciated  at  the  marriages  and  funerals,  wrote  the  wills, 
adjusted  the  differences,  and  with  his  wholesome  advice 
was  a  comfort  to  the  whole  community.  He  was  mar- 
ried twice,  his  first  wife  being  Miss  Judith  Boulware, 
of  Caroline,  and  his  second  Miss  Slaughter,  of  Rappa- 
hannock. He  left  no  child  and  was  a  widower  for  some 
years  before  his  death.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
a  member  of  Liberty  Church,  which  had  been  "the  love 
of  his  youth,  the  pride  of  his  manhood,  and  the  home 
of  his  old  age."     He  died  February  25,  1895. 


261 


CHARLES  A.  RAYMOND 

Charles  A.  Raymond  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn., 
February  5,  1822.  The  larger  part  of  his  life  was  spent 
in  the  South,  where  he  "labored  as  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel and  the  true  friend  of  the  interests  and  work  of  the 
denomination."  So  far  as  can  be  learned,  his  work 
among  Virginia  Baptists  was  in  the  bounds  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock Association.  His  post-office  for  years  was 
Hick's  Wharf,  and  the  churches  he  served  were  Math- 
ews, Gwynn's  Island,  and  Westville.  For  twenty  years 
he  lived  and  labored  in  this  Association,  helping  not  only 
in  his  own  churches,  but  also  by  meetings  held  in  other 
churches.  "For  twelve  years  he  suffered  intensely  from 
a  malignant  form  of  blood  poisoning,  which  kept  him 
from  active  work  and  deprived  him  of  fellowship  with 
his  brother  pastors,  for  which  he  daily  longed.  In  all 
this  time  of  sore  trouble,  pain  could  not  make  him  impa- 
tient; nor  did  consequent  privations  cause  a  murmur  to 
escape  his  lips."  He  died  at  his  home  in  Mathews  County, 
March  5,  1895.  He  left  a  widow  and  seven  children,  all 
of  his  children  being  members  of  the  "household  of  faith" 
and  three  of  his  sons  Baptist  ministers.  The  facts  for  this 
sketch  are  taken  from  the  obituary,  written  by  Rev.  B.  C. 
Hening,  in  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Association  for 
1895. 


262 


JOSEPH  WALKER 

The  life  of  Joseph  Walker  lacked  only  nine  years  of 
extending  over  the  whole  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
While  born  in  Pennsylvania,  his  life,  in  the  main,  was 
identified  with  the  South,  especially  Virginia.  Could  all 
of  his  contributions  to  the  newspapers  be  collected,  the 
story  of  his  life  would  be  told  in  a  most  interesting 
way  and  there  would  be  many  pages  filled  with  discus- 
sions covering  a  wide  range  of  subjects.  This  sketch 
will  be  autobiographical  rather  than  biographical,  for  it 
will  be  best  in  every  way  for  us  to  hear  this  nonogenarian 
tell  his  own  life  record.  The  quotations  that  follow  are 
taken  from  the  columns  of  the  Religious  Herald,  for 
which  paper  he  wrote  from  1838  practically  to  the  end 
of  his  life. 

Rather  more  than  four  years  before  his  death  he 
wrote:  "Since  my  nativity,  April  10,  1804,  there  have 
been  twenty-one  Presidents  of  the  United  States  of 
America;  three  Popes  of  Rome;  four  Kings  of  Sweden; 
ten  rulers  of  France,  including  three  Napoleons;  three 
Sultans  of  Turkey;  three  sovereigns  of  England,  includ- 
ing the  reigning  Queen ;  three  Emperors  of  Russia,  three 
of  Austria,  two  Kings  of  Italy,  and  three  Emperors  of 
the  consolidated  German  States.  Of  distinguished  pre- 
miers, I  remember  Peel,  Russell,  Palmerston,  Disraeli, 
and  Gladstone,  of  England ;  Talleyrand,  LaFayette,  and 
Thiers,  of  France ;  Bismarck,  of  Prussia ;  Count  Cavour, 
of  Sardinia;  Metternich,  of  Austria;  Gortchakoff.  of 
Russia,  and  Jefferson,  Hamilton,  Madison,  Webster,  and 
Seward,  Bayard  and  Blaine,  of  America."  He  wrote 
much  about  the  changes  and  improvements  since  his  early 

263 


264         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

days,  and  once  suggested  that  some  day  "airships  may 
transport  burdens  and  passengers  on  the  wings  of  the 
atmosphere."  Describing  agricultural  and  industrial  life 
in  his  days,  he  wrote:  "When  I  was  a  boy  the  farmers 
turned  over  the  sod  with  wooden  mold-boards  and  had 
their  coulters  set  and  sharpened  with  the  blacksmith's 
hammer.  They  mowed  grass  with  hand  scythes  and  cut 
grain  of  all  descriptions  with  sickles  and  scythe-cradles. 
Hay  they  raked  with  hand  rakes  and  bound  sheaves  with 
such  implements  as  God  himself  had  given  them.  It  was 
not  uncommon  to  see  blooming  maidens  in  the  meadows 
and  harvest  fields  in  those  days  raking  after  the  reapers. 
.  .  .  When  I  was  yet  quite  young,  nearly  all  wearing 
apparel  was  made  and  made  up  by  hand  within  the  circle 
of  a  man's  own  family.  Mothers  picked  cotton  and  wool 
with  their  own  expert  fingers,  then  corded  it  into  rolls 
with  hand-cards,  while  daughters  spun  the  rolls  into  yarn, 
then  wove  it  into  cloth,  or  knit  socks  or  stockings  with  it. 
Why,  as  late  as  1839,  when  I  began  my  ministry  on  the 
Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia,  the  girls  of  my  congregation 
supplied  me  with  all  the  socks  I  needed,  and  they  were 
the  best  article  of  the  kind  I  ever  had.  ...  In  those 
thrifty  times  if  a  young  woman  could  not  milk  a  half- 
dozen  cows  before  breakfast,  spin  yarn  when  necessary, 
weave  it  into  cloth  with  a  hand-shuttle,  and  then  make 
up  her  own  linsey-woolsey  garments,  her  chances  for 
matrimony  were  hardly  above  second  rate.  .  .  .  My 
father  had  an  old  Continental  flintlock  musket,  and  when 
fire  was  needed  for  any  purpose,  he'd  look  up  the  rusty 
old  gun,  prime  it  with  powder,  snap  it  over  tow  or  cot- 
ton, and  so,  after  repeated  trials,  kindle  a  fire.  It  was 
this  or  borrow  from  a  neighbor,  and  it  was  as  common 
to  borrow  brands  of  fire-coals,  in  those  times,  as  it  was 
to  borrow  anything  else.  .  .  .  When  I  first  began  to 
write  letters,  epistolary  correspondence  was  both  more 


JOSEPH  WALKER  265 

costly  and  perplexing  than  it  is  now.  .  .  .  The  rate 
on  a  single  letter  was  fifteen  cents.  ...  I  once  paid 
fifteen  cents  for  a  letter,  the  contents  of  which  ran  about 
like  this:  'I  take  up  my  pen  to  let  you  know  we  are  all 
well  and  I  hope  you  are  the  same.  No  more  at  present.'  " 
In  a  long  article,  giving  an  account  of  his  life  and 
headed  with  a  greeting  to  his  brethren  in  the  Southern, 
Western,  and  Northern  States,  he  wrote :  "During  a 
temporary  residence  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  I  was  bap- 
tized by  Rev.  James  B.  Taylor,  in  1831.  That  was  a 
remarkable  year  for  scenic  peculiarities.  The  atmosphere 
was  hazy,  dim.  and  depressing.  The  face  of  the  sun  was 
veiled  in  a  green  hue,  with  large  dark  spots  in  places  that 
could  be  seen  with  the  naked  eyes.  ...  I  returned 
to  my  home  in  Norfolk  with  a  letter  from  the  Second 
Church,  Richmond,  and  united  with  the  Cumberland 
Street  Church,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Howell.  I  was  soon 
elected  a  deacon  and  began  with  other  brethren  to  exhort 
the  colored  people  in  the  galleries  of  the  house.  In  the 
course  of  about  a  year  I  was  licensed  to  preach,  my  cre- 
dentials bearing  the  signatures  of  John  Goodall,  pastor, 
and  Thomas  D.  Toy,  clerk.  Subsequently,  I  was  called 
to  Petersburg  on  secular  business,  where  I  supplied  the 
Baptist  Church  for  three  months  during  the  absence  of  the 
pastor,  Dr.  Southwood.  Besides  supplying  the  pulpit  of 
the  w^hite,  I  preached  frequently  for  two  colored  churches 
in  the  vicinity  of  Petersburg.  At  one  of  the  services  in 
the  white  church  I  was  listened  to  by  my  first  pastor. 
Brother  Taylor,  who  induced  me  to  spend  some  time  at 
the  Seminary,  in  charge  of  Dr.  Ryland.  The  difficulty 
of  being  a  married  man  was  overcome ;  but  at  the  end  of 
the  second  year  my  wife  died  and  I  had  not  the  heart  to 
remain  longer.  While  there  I  preached  frequently  in 
Manchester  and  for  churches  in  the  surrounding  country. 
In  June.  1838,  during  the  session  of  the  General  Asso- 


266  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

ciation,  I  was  ordained  in  the  Second  Baptist  Church — 
James  B.  Taylor,  Thomas  Hume,  Sr.,  Cumberland 
George,  John  Goodall,  and  Alfred  Bennet,  of  New  York, 
constituting  the  presbytery.  I  at  once  accepted  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Pungoteague  Baptist  Church,  in  Accomac 
County,  where  I  found  a  delightful  home  in  the  house  of 
Joseph  Gunter,  father  of  the  present  Judge  Gunter,  of 
the  same  place."  After  two  years  on  the  Eastern  Shore, 
and  four  years  as  pastor  of  the  Hampton  Church,  there 
being  in  this  latter  period  "remarkable  temperance  refor- 
mations among  the  colored  people"  and  "glorious  revi- 
vals," he  acted  as  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church, 
Richmond,  for  a  year,  while  the  pastor,  Dr.  Magoon,  was 
in  Europe.  During  this  year  a  debt  of  some  $7,000  on 
the  church  was  paid.  Mr.  Walker's  "next  move"  was  to 
the  "classic  village  of  Charlottesville."  This  was  in  1846. 
His  trip  by  rail  from  Richmond  was  without  incident, 
save  a  delay  of  several  hours,  and  when  he  reached  his 
destination,  at  the  station  "was  a  group  of  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  Baptist  Church  awaiting  my  arrival.  Par- 
ish, Alexander,  Abell,  Massie,  Mosby,  and  several  others, 
gave  me  a  welcome  greeting.  ...  I  went  home  with 
Deacon  Abell."  So  his  pastorate  began.  The  presence 
of  the  University  of  Virginia  made  him  nervous  as  to 
the  future,  while  the  pronounced  Psedobaptist  senti- 
ment of  the  town  made  him  feel  that  he  wanted  to  be 
"useful  on  strictly  Baptist  lines."  The  boarding-school 
of  the  town  was  under  Presbyterian  control,  and  a  rule 
of  the  school  requiring  all  girls  to  attend  the  Presbyterian 
church  Sunday  morning  subjected  Mr.  Walker  to  the 
mortification  each  Lord's  Day  of  having  a  dozen  Baptist 
pupils  absent  from  his  service.  His  failure  to  have  this 
rule  changed  resulted,  through  his  leadership,  in  the 
establishment  of  a  school  under  Baptist  control,  with 
Rev.   S.   H.  Myrick  as  President.     In  this  undertaking 


JOSEPH  WALKER  267 

Rev.  W.  P.  Parish  rendered  valuable  assistance.  Dur- 
ing his  Charlottesville  pastorate  Mr.  Walker  "avoided 
all  union  meetings  and  never  cooperated  with  other  de- 
nominations, if  by  so  doing  Baptist  principles  might  be 
compromised."  Mr.  Walker  tells  the  following  incident 
in  regard  to  A.  Pope  Abell,  a  noble  worker  in  the  Sunday 
school,  the  church,  and  the  Association:  "That  is  the 
only  place  I  ever  knew  where  a  Baptist  deacon  went  to 
church  in  a  wheelbarrow.  Pope  Abell  had  injured  his 
foot.  Snow  was  on  the  ground.  His  Sunday  school  class 
needed  him.  So  he  had  a  colored  man  to  wheel  him  there 
and  home  again. 

"I  now  crossed  into  Western  Pennsylvania  and  took 
charge  of  the  Sandusky  Street  Baptist  Church,  Allegheny 
City.  The  place,  the  people,  everything  was  strange,  but 
the  Baptist  heart  was  there.  .  .  .  From  Allegheny  I 
went  to  Fairmont,  in  Western  Virginia,  to  take  charge 
of  the  Baptist  Recorder.  I  found  an  excellent  home  in 
the  family  of  Dr.  Eyster,  whose  wife  was  a  good  Baptist. 
I  soon  saw  that  the  paper  could  not  live  where  there  was 
no  Baptist  church  and  few  Baptists ;  and  after  conduct- 
ing it  a  year,  I  left  it  in  the  hands  of  the  publishers.  Yet 
during  the  time,  I  had  preached  in  Pruntytown,  Clarks- 
burg, Morgantown,  and  in  the  courthouse  in  Fairmont. 
The  paper,  too,  had  stirred  up  a  first-class  hornet's  nest, 
which  made  it  necessary  for  its  editor  to  preach  a  three 
hours'  sermon  on  baptisin  at  Lumberport  and  to  debate 
for  four  hours  with  the  celebrated  Moses  Tichinell,  of 
Palatine,  on  the  same  subject.  After  the  storm  had  sub- 
sided, I  made  sail,  under  a  full  spread  of  canvas,  with 
the  old  Jordanic  flag  fluttering  at  the  masthead,  for  the 
East,  and  anchored  in  the  Baptist  harbor  of  Baltimore, 
to  labor  as  state  missionary  agent  for  the  Maryland 
Union  Baptist  Association.  The  year's  work  was  noth- 
ing to  speak  of,  except  that  Adams,  Fuller,  the  Wilsons, 


268  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

the  Cranes,  and  J.  W.  M.  Williams,  who  came  awhile 
before  I  left,  were  very  kind  to  me.  ...  A  call  came  from 
St.  Louis  for  a  man  of  my  dimensions  and  caliber  to 
originate  and  take  charge  of  a  new  mission  interest. 
This  was  in  1850.  I  went.  Found  the  cholera  in  the 
city.  Reported  to  Dr.  Jeter,  at  whose  instance  I  had 
been  called.  A  room  was  to  be  furnished  which  required 
money,  and  the  missionary  was  to  collect  it.  So  it  was 
tramp,  tramp;  beg,  beg;  talk,  talk,  just  as  it  had  been  in 
Richmond.  ...  A  hall  was  found,  furnished  and  paid 
for  and  a  church  of  twenty-two  members  was  organized. 
For  three  years,  or  nearly  so,  I  continued  as  pastor  of 
this  church,  baptized  numbers,  sent  two  colonies  to  the 
Northwest,  then  resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev, 
John  Teasdale." 

While  pastor  at  Allegheny  City,  Mr.  Walker's  church 
was  almost  decimated  by  the  departure  of  young  men 
for  the  West,  wild  with  the  gold  fever  of  1849.  One 
young  man  from  whom  the  preacher  expected  a  marriage 
fee  in  a  few  months  "suddenly  left  his  affianced  one  for 
the  gold  fields  beyond  the  plains,  promising  to  return 
shortly  with  his  pockets  full  of  gold  dust,  when  she  was 
to  be  made  happy  and  I  was  to  have  a  fee  out  of  the  glit- 
tering treasure  from  the  mines.  But  alas !  she  has  never 
seen  him  since  and  I — well,  I  have  about  given  up  the 
fee." 

Mr.  Walker,  upon  visiting  Philadelphia,  was  the  more 
anxious  to  see  Girard  College  because  of  the  rule  that 
prohibited  the  entrance  of  ministers.  A  white  cravat  he 
had  on,  however,  called  forth  from  the  porter  the  ques- 
tion:  "Are  you  a  clergyman?"  and  his  reply  prevented 
his  admission.  On  another  occasion  the  gateman  asked : 
"Are  you  a  stranger  in  these  parts?"  Mr.  Walker  re- 
plied :  "I  am  a  visitor  to  the  city  from  the  State  of 
Missouri  and  would  like  to  form  an  estimate  of  the  prin- 


JOSEPH  WALKER  269 

cipal  objects  of  interest  in  your  large  and  attractive  me- 
tropolis."   The  answer  came :    "Very  good,  sir,  walk  in." 

Mr.  Walker,  upon  leaving  St.  Louis,  accepted  the  office 
of  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Domestic  Mission 
Board  at  Marion.  Ala.  To  this  work  he  gave  four  years, 
visiting  Associations  and  cliurches  in  the  South  and  mak- 
ing two  trips  to  the  Indians  in  Kansas.  From  Alabama  he 
moved  to  Macon  to  take  charge  of  the  Georgia  Baptist 
paper.  The  Christian  Index.  He  says :  ".  .  .  The  year 
1860  found  me  back  in  Richmond.  When  the  War  came 
on  I  served  as  post  chaplain  during  the  whole  time. 
Staked  all  on  the  Confederacy  and  lost  all.  In  place  of 
twelve  thousand  dollars  in  good  securities,  I  have  eigliteen 
thousand  in  Confederate  bonds  drawing  8  per  cent,  inter- 
est, and  just  as  good  as  they  ever  were.  And  yet  I  could 
not  have  paid  for  washing  a  collar  when  the  Confederacy 
collapsed  unless  some  one  had  given  me  a  nickel  if  my 
life  had  depended  on  it.  I  need  not  tell  how  I  lived 
bachelor's  life  in  the  basement  of  a  church;  how  I  carried 
roasting  ears  to  market  before  day,  or  how  I  wrote  re- 
ligious novels  for  bread  and  butter.  All  of  which,  how- 
ever, is  literally  true." 

As  post  chaplain  at  Richmond,  Mr.  Walker  had  many 
interesting  experiences.  He  describes  the  inauguration 
of  Jefferson  Davis,  at  which  he  was  present,  saying:  "As 
if  to  add  to  the  general  depression  of  spirits,  the  weather 
on  the  22d  of  February,  1862,  was  dark  and  stormy. 
The  clouds  were  emptying  themselves  of  torrents  of 
water  as  the  tall  form  of  President  Davis  appeared  under 
the  equestrian  statue  of  Washington,  surrounded  by  a 
monumental  group  of  revolutionary  statesmen.  There  he 
stood  under  shelter  of  an  improvised  canvas,  as  if  an- 
chored to  the  rock  under  his  feet.  His  voice  was  steady, 
clear  and  full,  and  it  rang  out  through  the  pelting  storm 
like  a  clarion  trumpet,  without  the  slightest  sign  of  fear 


270         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

or  discouragement.  An  immense  concourse  of  anxious 
citizens,  from  under  an  apparently  solid  roof  of  um- 
brellas, heard  him  through ;  and  though  there  was  no 
enthusiastic  cheering,  they  retired  reassured  by  the  elec- 
tric oratory  of  their  confident  chief.  I  myself  returned 
to  my  quarters  with  the  pleasing  persuasion  that  all  was 
not  lost.  .  .  .  The  battle  of  Seven  Pines,  called  'Fair 
Oaks'  by  the  Union  general,  came  next  in  order  of  time. 
This  sanguinary  conflict  I  both  heard  and  saw  from  the 
roof  of  the  State  Capitol.  .  .  .  On  the  afternoon  be- 
fore the  battle,  I  passed  through  six  or  seven  large  to- 
bacco warehouses  that  had  been  fitted  up  as  hospitals. 
Every  ward  was  fresh  and  clean,  and  every  cot  white 
and  tidy.  In  less  than  twenty-four  hours  from  that  time 
there  were  6,000  prostrate  Confederates  in  those  cots, 
mangled  and  wounded  in  almost  every  conceivable  man- 
ner. A  few  of  the  Union  wounded  were  also  brought 
there  and  cared  for.  .  .  .  For  six  long  days  these  bat- 
tles had  raged  more  or  less  furiously  and  the  thousands 
of  dead  and  wounded  left  on  the  field  presented  a  heart- 
sickening  sight  even  to  veterans.  My  duty  was  to  assist 
in  burying  the  dead  with  religous  sei-vices,  and  this  we 
did  as  far  as  practicable.  It  was  not  unusual  to  have  sev- 
eral hundreds  of  coffins  awaiting  burial  at  the  same  time, 
and  this  in  the  hot  months  of  June  and  July.  On  one  oc- 
casion there  were  270  coffins  corded  in  a  rick  at  Holly- 
wood Cemetery  and  we  had  to  put  them  in  their  graves 
by  tens,  making  one  service  answer  for  ten  at  a  time. 
In  this  way  only  could  we  work  them  off  our  hands,  but 
this  was  not  difficult  when  the  dead  were  buried  side  by 
side  in  trenches,  as  they  were  towards  the  close  of  the 
War,  at  Oakwood.  .  .  .  This  brings  me  to  the  time 
when  the  office  of  post  chaplain  was  not  very  desirable. 
An  enemy  now  began  to  close  upon  us  that  was  much 
more  formidable  than  Grant's  well-fed  and  well-drilled 


JOSEPH  WALKER  271 

legions.  This  consuming  foe  was  a  want  of  food,  forage 
and  clothing.  .  .  .  Gold  was  at  a  premium  of  $40 
for  $1,  and  the  cost  for  subsistence  ranged  upwards  ac- 
cordingly. .  .  .  Sugar  was  $10  per  pound,  coffee  $30, 
champagne,  probably  New  York  cider,  $40  per  bottle.  I 
myself  paid  $100  for  a  second-hand  stovepipe  hat,  $30 
for  a  hair  brush  and  a  small-toothed  comb,  the  latter  a 
very  necessary  article  in  the  last  days  of  camp  life.  Or- 
ders frequently  came  from  headquarters  that  the  soldiers 
must  be  provided  for,  no  matter  what  became  of  others ; 
but  in  the  winter  of  1864  we  were  on  less  than  half  ra- 
tions, and  these  not  of  the  choicest  kind.  Our  bill  of 
fare  was  unique  and  simple:  Cornbread  from  unsifted 
meal,  without  salt ;  coffee  made  out  of  rye,  roasted  beans 
or  peanuts ;  baked  sweet  potato  slices,  or,  in  fact,  any- 
thing that  would  make  a  beverage  that  resembled  coffee. 
No  sugar,  but  sweetened  with  sorghum  when  occasionally 
we  could  get  it.  Twice  a  week  each  man  was  made 
happy  by  half  a  pound  of  some  kind  of  meat,  but  even 
this  boon  did  not  last  long,  and  as  hunger  pinched,  many 
sighed  for  home  and  threatened  to  go.  The  officials 
feared  this,  and  on  a  set  day,  after  several  bombastic 
speeches  on  the  duty  of  patriotism,  they  promised  us  a 
dinner  of  turkey  and  'fixings'  for  the  Christmas  near  at 
hand.  But  Grant  was  pegging  away  within  seven  miles 
of  us,  and  when  Christmas  came  the  constant  rattle  of 
musketry  drove  all  thoughts  of  a  dinner  out  of  the  minds 
of  our  superiors  and  we  dined  on  the  usual  Confederate 
fare.  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  purchase  from  a  friend 
in  Richmond  a  barrel  of  superior  flour  for  $625.  I  had 
it  conveyed  to  my  quarters  as  quietly  and  secretly  as  I 
could,  but  the  other  chaplains  got  wind  of  it  and  I  had 
one  or  more  of  them  to  dine  with  me  every  day.  About 
the  same  time  I  got  hold  of  two  gallons  of  sorghum,  and 
my  visitors  were  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  I  could 


272         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

make  the  best  sweet  cakes  of  any  chaplain  in  service, 
which  was  true,  for  no  other  chaplain  had  the  means  of 
making  any." 

After  the  War  Mr.  Walker  was  pastor  for  three  years 
of  a  field  in  Charlotte  County,  composed  of  the  Ash 
Camp,  Mossingf  ord,  and  Charlotte  Court-House  Churches. 
Then  he  went  West  again  and  organized  a  Baptist  church 
at  St.  James,  Missouri.  Let  his  own  pen  go  on  with  the 
story:  "In  1873  I  went  twelve  miles  farther  south  to 
Rolla,  where  I  remained  seven  years  as  pastor,  and  we 
succeeded  in  building  the  handsomest  meeting-house  in 
the  town.  I  came  East  three  times  to  solicit  funds  for 
that  house,  and  Washington,  Baltimore,  Richmond,  Man- 
chester, and  the  General  Association  at  Lynchburg,  aided 
us.  In  company  with  other  churches  we  organized  the 
Dixon  Association.  ...  In  1880  I  came  East  again 
and,  at  their  earnest  request,  visited  Professor  John  H. 
Gill  and  wife  in  Rockville,  Maryland.  I  concluded  to 
make  my  home  with  them.  ...  In  1881  my  friends 
moved  to  Georgetown,  and,  of  course,  I  went  with  them. 
The  Gay  Street  Church  of  that  city,  being  without  a  pas- 
tor, called  me  and  I  accepted  and  served  them  for  two 
years.  On  the  death  of  Professor  Gill  I  found  a  pleasant 
home  in  the  family  of  W.  H.  Haycock  and  his  wife,  ster- 
ling Virginians." 

During  the  last  years  of  his  life,  Mr.  Walker  preached 
and  lectured  now  and  then.  On  a  trip  to  Newport  News 
and  Hampton,  the  Hampton  newspaper  announced  that 
he  would  lecture  on  the  "Evangelization  of  Richmond," 
when  his  subject  was  "The  Evacuation  of  Richmond." 
Upon  this  occasion  his  suggestion  that  in  the  collection 
contributions  range  from  a  penny  to  five  dollars  was  ex- 
actly complied  with.  His  death  took  place  April  7,  1895, 
in  the  home  of  his  dear  friend.  Rev.  J.  H.  Fox,  Scotts- 
ville,  Virginia,  and  the  funeral  was  conducted  bv  Rev. 
Dr.  William  E.  Hatcher. 


JOSEPH  WALKER  273 

Mr.  \\'alker  was  a  man  of  strong  native  intellect,  with 
an  excellent  memory  and  disposed  to  think  throngh  to 
his  own  conclusions  on  important  questions.  He  had 
decided  religious  convictions  and  opinions  on  religious 
matters,  and  was,  in  his  denominational  views,  what  is 
known  in  Baptist  ranks  as  a  "Landmarker."  He  believed 
that  for  valid  baptism  the  proper  administrator  was  nec- 
essary. His  mind  was  alert,  he  loved  to  write  for  the 
denominational  press,  and  was  always  ready  to  break  a 
lance  with  any  comer  whose  views  he  could  not  accept. 
The  General  Association,  in  1893,  by  formal  vote,  sent 
to  him  their  cordial  greeting.  The  year  before,  not  be- 
ing able  to  be  present  at  the  General  Association,  he  wTOte 
to  the  Herald  urging  against  long  speeches  and  new 
booms.  In  January,  1891,  he  had  written  to  the  same 
paper  warning  the  Eaptists  not  to  drift  away  from  their 
principles  and  doctrines. 


BURR  P.  DULIN 

Fauquier,  one  of  the  Piedmont  counties  of  Virginia, 
was  the  birthplace  of  Burr  P.  Duhn.  On  September  8, 
1814.  near  Orlean,  he  first  saw  the  light.  "He  grew  up 
to  manhood  in  that  section,  working  as  a  farm  hand.  He 
commenced  the  battle  of  life  without  any  adventitious 
aid  as  wealth,  high  social  influence  or  culture,  but  had 
to  rely  upon  his  own  strong  arm,  stout  heart,  and  reso- 
lute will.  His  educational  advantages  were  very  meager, 
but  he  had  a  naturally  strong  mind  and  was  sustained 
by  an  ambitious  spirit.  Reading,  study,  and  associations 
made  him  an  intelligent  and  well-informed  man.  He 
made  a  profession  of  religion  about  1833  and  was  bap- 
tized into  the  fellowship  of  the  Jeffersonton  Baptist 
Church,  Culpeper  County,  by  Rev.  Cumberland  George. 
In  the  year  1837  he  entered  upon  the  work  of  the  gospel 
ministry,  preaching  his  first  sermon  at  Carter's  Run  Bap- 
tist Church  and  continuing  in  the  good  work  till  his 
death."  The  Potomac  Association  was  the  sphere  of  his 
ministerial  labors.  For  some  years  at  some  of  his 
churches  his  salary  came,  at  least  in  part,  from  the  State 
Mission  Board,  and  year  by  year  his  reports  to  the 
Board  show  how  active  and  successful  he  was.  In 
1868  he  baptized  twenty-four;  in  1872,  eighty-five;  in 
1873,  sixty-four;  in  1874,  twenty-two,  and  in  1875, 
fifty-five.  For  years  he  preached  regularly  to  four 
churches,  and  the  record  of  many  a  year  shows  that  he 
was  often  pastor  of  more  than  four  churches ;  one  year 
the  number  ran  up  to  seven!  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  churches  in  the  Potomac  Association  that  he  served 
as  pastor  for  longer  or  shorter  periods,  and  the  list  may 

274 


BURR  P.  DULIN  275 

not  be  complete:  Brentsville,  Oak  Dale,  Mount  Hope, 
Union  Grove,  Centerville.  Gainesville.  Jerusalem,  Beulah, 
Brentown  (afterwards  New  Hope),  Woodbine,  Clifton, 
Mount  Carmel.  Stafford's  Store.  Of  at  least  one  of  these 
churches.  Oak  Dale,  his  pastorate  continued  for  many 
years.  In  1880,  when  he  had  been  pastor  there  for  twen- 
ty-one years,  he  wrote  to  the  Herald,  giving  some  reasons 
why  he  had  been  able  to  stay  so  long.  He  had  been 
prompt  in  meeting  his  appointments  ;  he  had  always  sought 
to  settle  personal  difficulties  outside  of  the  church  meet- 
ings ;  in  visiting,  he  had  always  treated  all  persons  alike, 
and  had  made  it  his  rule  not  to  tell  to  one  person  the  ill 
another  had  said  about  him ;  he  had  always  tried  to  give 
his  people  the  plain,  simple  truth  of  the  gospel.  He  "had 
many  gifts  that  make  the  popular  preacher.  He  had  an 
attractive  and  a  commanding  appearance,  a  benevolent 
face,  and  a  voice,  winning,  musical  and  of  great  com- 
pass. He  had  a  fluent  speech,  a  ready  command  of  lan- 
guage and  a  sympathetic  nature.  He  was  a  man  of 
faith  and  hope.  Others  might  sit  in  the  shadows,  but 
he  stood  on  the  mountain  top  and  saw  the  crowning  day. 
His  thoughts  had  little  of  logical  arrangement  and  did 
not  court  the  drapery  of  rhetorical  fancy,  but  they  fell 
upon  the  hearts  of  the  people  as  fire  in  the  stubble.  His 
mind  and  heart  were  intent  on  saving  souls,  and  often  he 
would  rise  to  heights  of  genuine  eloquence  and  of  great 
persuasive  power.  He  was  more  preacher  than  pastor. 
The  pastoral  work  was  not  exactly  to  his  mind.  He  did 
not  have,  as  some,  that  enviable  gift  that  can  train  and 
develop  all  the  talents  of  the  church  so  that  it  may  be- 
come an  active  and  efficient  body.  .  .  .  Brother  Dulin 
was  an  evangelist,  and  he  magnified  his  office.  .  .  . 
As  missionary,  evangelist  and  pastor,  he  traveled  with 
eager  feet  the  counties  of  Fauquier,  Loudoun,  Stafford, 
Culpeper,    Rappahannock,    Greene,    Madison,    Spottsyl- 


276         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

vania,  and  Prince  William,  proclaiming  the  glad  tidings 
of  salvation.  He  was  twice  married.  He  delighted  in 
his  home.  Blessings  followed  him.  .  .  .  The  shadows 
also  came  and  rested  upon  his  home  and  path.  Death 
invaded  his  happy  retreat  and  called  wives  and  children, 
so  that  of  a  large  family  only  three  children  survive  him." 
He  preached  his  last  sermon  to  his  Oak  Dale  Church  the 
Sunday  before  his  death.  A  Presbyterian  preacher  who 
heard  this  sermon  said  that  he  preached  with  unusual 
power.  "The  last  act  in  the  drama  came  some  time  Fri- 
day night,  April  26,  1895.  It  was  a  fitting  and  beautiful 
close.  He  had  made  his  preparations  to  meet  his  con- 
gregations near  Alexandria  on  the  following  Saturday 
and  Sunday  and  then  retired  to  his  chamber  for  the 
night's  rest.  When  the  morning  came  his  son  entered 
the  chamber  to  arouse  his  father  to  meet  the  early  train. 
He  saw  him  lying  on  his  side ;  his  eyes  were  closed ;  his 
cheek  was  resting  on  his  open  hand.  He  thought  the 
father  was  asleep.    It  was  deep,  sweet  sleep,  blessed  sleep, 

"  'From  which  none  ever  wakes  to  weep.' 

"The  children  called  their  father,  but  he  was  not,  for 
God  had  taken  him."  The  cjuotations  and  some  of  the 
other  facts  in  this  sketch  are  from  the  obituary  in  the 
Minutes  of  the  General  Association,  prepared  by  Rev. 
Dr.  I.  B.  Lake. 


THOMAS  CLARKE  GOGGIN 

Thomas  Clarke  Goggin  was  born  January  2,  1815, 
being  the  oldest  son  of  Stephen  and  Jeanette  Goggin. 
When  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he  made  a  profession  of 
religion,  and  on  August  6,  1831.  was  baptized  into  the 
fellowship  of  Morgan's  Church  (then  known  as  Goose 
Creek  Church),  a  church  which  was  organized  in  1787. 
In  1832  he  was  granted  "the  privilege  of  exercising  his 
gifts  in  prayer  and  exhortation  within  the  bounds  of  his 
church."  In  1838,  he  was  ordained.  On  December  4  of 
the  same  year  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Jane, 
youngest  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  Johnson.  Dur- 
ing his  long  ministry  he  married  582  couples.  While  he 
was,  during  a  period  of  some  sixty  years,  pastor  of  vari- 
ous churches  and  a  preacher  far  and  near,  his  member- 
ship continued  to  the  day  of  his  death  with  Morgan's 
Church.  During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  James  Leftwich 
there  was  much  opposition  to  missions  and  giving  to  the 
Boards  in  Morgan's  Church.  Finally,  Mr.  Goggin  made 
a  motion  one  day  that  all  w^ho  were  not  in  favor  of  con- 
tributing to  these  objects  be  allowed  to  withdraw.  Seven 
got  up,  put  on  their  hats  and  walked  out.  Brother  Left- 
wich remarking  as  they  departed  that  there  were  seven 
and  that  their  number  would  not  increase,  which  predic- 
tion was  verified. 

He  was,  for  a  longer  or  shorter  period,  pastor  of  the 
following  churches:  Morgan's  (Goose  Creek),  Pales- 
tine. Staunton.  Old  Fork.  Hales  Ford.  Fairmont.  Boone 
]\Iill.  Blue  Ridge,  Enon  (Hollins).  New^  Hope  (Beaver 
Dam),  Mount  Zion,  Suck  Spring.  Timber  Ridge,  Mount 
Olivet.  Quaker,  Bethlehem,  Shady  Grove,  and  Stony 
Road.     Of  "Morgan's"  he  was  pastor  three  times  and 

277 


278         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

for  some  twenty  years.  He  was  what  might  be  called 
now  the  old-style  Virginia  country  preacher.  From  about 
Tuesday  to  Friday  of  each  week  he  worked  on  his  farm 
and  attended  to  his  material  affairs.  On  Friday  he  set 
out  for  his  Saturday  appointment.  On  Saturday  he  met 
this  engagement,  preaching  and  holding  the  business 
meeting  of  the  church.  On  Sunday  he  preached  once  or 
twice  or  even  three  times  at  as  many  places,  and  on  Mon- 
day returned  home.  In  the  case  of  Mr.  Goggin,  at  least 
one  of  his  appointments  was  thirty-seven  miles  away. 
Besides  his  preaching  in  churches  and  at  regular  appoint- 
ments, many  a  sermon  was  delivered  at  schoolhouses, 
private  residences,  in  the  woods  and  other  places.  His 
labors  touched  Botetourt,  Montgomery,  Giles,  Craig, 
Roanoke,  and  perhaps  other  counties.  A  large  part  of 
his  work  was  without  financial  compensation.  He  was  a 
fearless  defender  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Baptists.  Once 
he  was  preaching  on  the  subject  of  baptism  at  Floyd 
Court-House.  There  were  few  Baptists  at  this  place  and 
no  Baptist  church.  After  he  had  spoken  an  hour  and  a 
half,  he  was  about  to  close,  but  his  audience  cried  out 
to  him  to  go  on,  as  they  wanted  to  hear  him.  So  he  con- 
tinued, and  his  sermon  reached  out  over  two  hours  and 
three-quarters.  This  was  the  longest  sermon  he  ever 
preached. 

He  was  moderator  of  the  Strawberry  Association  for 
twenty-one  successive  sessions,  from  1849  to  1868,  a 
period  of  nineteen  years.  During  part  of  this  time  the 
body  held  two  meetings  each  year.  He  would  probably 
have  been  continued  in  this  office  for  yet  many  more 
years  by  his  brethren,  but  his  modest,  retiring  disposition 
suggested  that  this  honor  be  given  to  others.  For  years 
his  presence  and  his  words  of  exhortation  were  a  bene- 
diction to  the  Association.  One  year,  when  the  Associa- 
tion met  at  Bethlehem  Church,  some  younger  brethren, 
in  their  ardor  and  zeal,  undertook  to  reprove  and  rebuke 


THOMAS  CLARKE  GOGGIN  279 

the  older  brethren  in  the  ministry.  After  hearing  their 
words.  Brother  Goggin  arose  and  spoke  about  as  follows : 
"I  do  not  know  what  I  ought  to  say ;  perhaps  I  ought  not 
to  say  anything,  but  I  feel  like  putting  a  little  salve  upon 
the  bleeding  backs  of  these  dear  old  brethren  who  have 
been  lashed  so  here  to-day."  During  the  session  of  the 
"Strawberry"  at  Liberty  (now  Bedford  City),  in  1889, 
there  was  a  beautiful  expression  of  the  affection  in  which 
Brother  Goggin  was  held.  A  buggy  and  harness,  which 
some  of  his  friends  had  purchased  for  him,  was  pre- 
sented to  him  by  Rev.  Dr.  W.  R.  L.  Smith,  at  that  time 
pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Lynchburg. 

When  Rev.  G.  Wheeler  first  began  to  preach  he  fre- 
quently accompanied  his  senior,  T.  C.  Goggin.  Mr.  Gog- 
gin had  been  his  pastor  for  ten  years  and  had  exerted  a 
strong  religious  influence  upon  him  in  the  days  of  his 
youth.  The  younger  man  shrank  from  preaching  in  the 
presence  of  this  father  in  ministry,  but  Mr.  Goggin  would 
decline  to  take  the  young  man's  place,  saying:  "Brother 
Wheeler,  I  can  not  do  it.  If  I  do  it  to-day,  you  will  want 
me  to  do  it  next  time,  and  I  want  you  to  put  the  harness 
on  and  go  to  work  and  I  will  pray  for  you."  On  May 
27,  1861,  when  a  company  set  out  for  the  War  from  an 
old  mill  about  two  miles  from  Liberty  (Bedford  City), 
his  own  son  being  one  of  the  company,  T.  C.  Goggin 
was  present  to  see  them  start.  He  took  one  of  the  men 
by  the  hand  and  said :  "Remember  the  one  thing  need- 
ful." 

The  last  years  of  his  life  Brother  Goggin  spent  in  the 
home  of  his  son,  in  Vinton.  Through  this  period,  when 
he  was  approaching  and  then  going  beyond  the  age  of 
fourscore  years,  he  went  to  preaching  "when  many 
younger  stayed  at  home  because  of  the  weather."  He 
died  April  19,  1895,  and  was  buried  at  Morgan's  Church, 
Bedford  County,  the  funeral  sermon  being  preached  by 
Rev.  Gabriel  Wheeler. 


TIBERIUS  GRACCHUS  JONES 

Tiberius  Gracchus  Jones  was  born  in  Powhatan 
County,  Virginia,  July  12,  1821.  His  father,  Wood 
Jones,  of  Nottoway  County,  and  his  mother,  who  was 
a  Miss  Archer,  of  Powhatan  County,  both  died  when 
he  was  some  three  years  old.  On  his  father's  side  he  was 
related  to  John  Winston  Jones,  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  and  through  his  mother  to  United  States 
Senator  William  S.  Archer  and  Branch  T.  Archer,  who 
"was  conspicuous  in  the  early  councils  of  Texas."  When 
left  an  orphan  he  lived  with  one  of  his  brothers,  who 
afterwards  became  distinguished  as  a  lawyer.  When  he 
was  thirteen  years  old  "he  entered  the  office  of  William 
Sands,  of  the  Religious  Herald  and  remained  five  years." 
He  was  eighteen  when,  in  1839,  he  entered  what  is  now 
Richmond  College.  After  three  years  here  he  went  to 
the  University  of  Virginia  for  two  sessions  and  finally 
graduated  at  William  and  Mary  College  in  1844.  Both 
at  the  University  and  at  William  and  Mary  he  was  vale- 
dictorian, his  ability  as  a  public  speaker  being  thus  early 
recognized.  Upon  his  graduation  he  went  to  Alabama, 
where  he  taught  school  for  about  two  years,  at  the  same 
time  doing  some  study  along  theological  lines  and  some 
preaching.  Previous  to  this  time  he  had  been  converted 
and  been  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Second  Bap- 
tist Church  by  Rev.  James  B.  Taylor.  While  he  was  at 
Richmond  College  he  decided  to  become  a  preacher  and 
was  licensed  by  the  Second  Baptist  Church. 

Upon  his  return  to  Virginia  from  Alabama  he  began 
to  preach  at  Clarksville,  and  from  this  place  was  invited 
to  supply  the  Freemason  Street  Baptist  Church,  Norfolk, 

280 


TIBERIUS  GRACCHUS  JONES  281 

Virginia.  This  led  to  his  being  called  and  to  his  accept- 
ing the  call  of  this  church,  he  being  their  first  pastor  and 
this  his  first  church.  This  step  proved  to  be  even  more 
important  than  perhaps  he  realized.  His  connection  with 
this  church  was  to  be  long  and  distinguished.  His  work 
there  began  in  December,  1849,  and  this  pastorate  con- 
tinued until  March  7,  1864.  He  left  Norfolk  to  become 
pastor  of  the  Eranklin  Sc|uare  Church,  Baltimore,  suc- 
ceeding Rev.  T.  H.  Pritchard.  His  service  here  was 
brief,  for  he  was  called  back  to  his  first  charge  and  heeded 
the  call.  Scarcely  had  he  more  than  gotten  well  to  work 
again  in  Norfolk  when,  on  August  24,  1866,  upon  the 
reorganization  of  Richmond  College  after  the  War,  he 
was  called  to  its  presidency.  After  some  three  years  in 
this  important  position,  for  the  third  time  he  accepted  a 
call,  on  April  21,  1869,  to  the  Freemason  Street  Church. 
He  remained  in  Norfolk  two  years  until,  on  January  13, 
1871,  he  resigned  to  become  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  Nashville,  Tenn.  He  was  under-shepherd  for 
this  people  some  twelve  years.  His  last  pastorate  was  in 
the  same  city  as  his  first.  This  time  not  Freemason  Street 
Church,  but  the  First  Church  became  his  flock.  From 
January  1,  1884,  until  April.  1893.  he  continued  his  work 
with  the  First  Church.  His  long  career  as  a  pastor  came 
to  an  end  with  his  years  at  the  First  Church.  The  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  given  to  writing  and  studv. 

Dr.  Jones  (the  degree  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Rich- 
mond College)  will  be  remembered  best  as  a  preacher. 
He  was  a  man  of  learning  and  scholarship;  as  has  al- 
ready been  seen,  was  the  president  of  one  of  our  best 
colleges,  and  had  been  sought  by  Mercer  University  and 
Wake  Forest  for  this  same  high  ofiice.  but  he  was  first 
and  foremost  a  preacher. 

Evidence  of  his  ability  in  the  pulpit  is  not  wanting; 
witness  his  three  pastorates  at  one  church,  and  that  one 


282  VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

of  our  best  in  a  leading,  growing  city,  and  his  long  pas- 
torate in  Nashville.  Besides,  he  was  in  demand  for  spe- 
cial occasions.  Three  times,  namely,  at  the  First  Church, 
Richmond,  in  1851 ;  again  at  the  Second  Church,  Rich- 
mond, in  1854,  and  once  more  at  Leigh  Street  Church, 
Richmond,  in  1890,  he  was  the  preacher  of  the  introduc- 
tory sermon  before  the  General  Association.  In  1873, 
at  Mobile,  he  preached  the  introductory  sermon  before 
the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  Concerning  this  ser- 
mon, Dr.  John  A.  Broadus  wrote  to  his  wife  these  words: 
"Dr.  T.  G.  Jones'  introductory  sermon  last  night  (one 
and  a  half  hours)  was  one  of  the  noblest  I  ever  heard — 
intensely  practical,  saying  the  very  things  that  needed  to 
be  said  and  saying  them  with  wonderful  freshness  and 
impressiveness."  In  1894  Dr.  Jones  was  the  preacher  of 
the  baccalaureate  sermon  at  the  University  of  Virginia. 
His  subject  was  "The  Everlasting  Gospel,"  and  he  was 
asked  to  publish  it.  The  chaplain  of  the  University,  de- 
scribing the  sermon,  said  that  it  was  "able  in  thought, 
clear  in  analysis,  chaste  and  classic  in  style,  containing 
the  very  marrow  of  the  gospel  and  glittering  with  those 
rare  gems  of  thought  and  illustration  which  this  prince 
of  preachers  is  accustomed  to  scatter  with  such  lavish 
hand."  At  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Jones  the  chief  address 
was  made  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  C.  Hiden.  In  speaking  of  Dr. 
Jones  as  a  preacher,  he  said :  "Tiberius  Jones  was,  first 
of  all,  a  preacher.  To  the  work  of  preaching  he  gave 
his  highest  and  best  powers,  and  those  powers  were  great. 
One  of  the  most  striking  things  about  his  preaching  was 
that  it  was  thoroughly  evangelical.  Brilliant  and  original 
as  he  was,  he  never  found  the  old  paths  too  narrow  for 
him  to  walk  in.  Indeed,  I  never  heard  any  one  express  a 
suspicion  as  to  his  soundness.  Neither  from  the  pulpit 
nor  in  conversation  did  I  ever  hear  him  utter  a  sentiment 
which  was  contrary  to  the  spirit  or  to  the  letter  of  the 
teachings  of  the  Scriptures.    He  was  a  thoroughly  sound 


TIBERIUS  GRACCHUS  JONES  283 

preacher  and  loved  to  preach  the  doctrines  of  grace.  In 
the  preparation  of  his  discourses  he  was  laborious  and 
painstaking.  His  sennons  were  the  fruit  of  careful  study. 
Though  his  mind  was  filled  with  the  best  thinking  of  the 
world,  ancient  and  modern,  he  knew  that  he  could  not 
trust  to  the  spur  of  the  moment  to  produce  valuable  ser- 
mons ;  and  when,  after  hard  thinking  and  elaborate  prep- 
aration, he  had  developed  some  great  theme  and  stood  in 
his  pulpit  to  deliver  the  rich  results  of  his  study,  he  did 
not  trouble  himself  about  the  clock;  he  took  his  time  and 
was  in  no  hurry.  The  greatest  preachers  I  have  ever 
heard  were,  in  my  judgment,  John  A.  Broadus,  Tiberius 
Jones,  and  A.  B.  Brown.  I  do  not  know  which  of  them 
I  ought  to  place  first.  They  differed  widely,  but  each 
was  a  master  in  his  line."  Rev.  Dr.  A.  B.  Brown,  in 
describing  an  ordination  service  in  Charlottesville,  spoke 
thus  of  the  sermon  of  the  occasion  which  was  preached 
by  Dr.  Jones  on  the  text:  "Preach  the  word":  "This 
was  one  of  the  best  efforts  of  its  admired  author,  whose 
subtlety  and  logical  power  few  of  the  ministers  of  Vir- 
ginia can  surpass,  whose  width  of  mental  range  scarcely 
one  can  equal,  and  whose  richness  of  imagination  and 
splendor  and  beauty  of  diction  are  absolutely  unrivaled." 
Dr.  Jones  seemed  to  some  severe  and  stern,  but  those 
who  knew  him  well  doubtless  had  no  such  idea  of  him. 
Dr.  Hiden  says  as  a  friend  he  was  trustful  and  often 
playful,  and  that  as  a  talker  he  was  superb.  Dr.  Paul 
Whitehead,  of  the  Methodist  Church,  who  for  a  season 
lived  in  the  same  house  with  him,  says  that  he  was  "a 
miserable  dyspeptic,  with  pallid  countenance  and  look  of 
one  feeling  ever  more  the  remorse  of  a  guilty  stomach. 
He  was  pleasant  company  and  a  hard  student."  In  the 
address  already  alluded  to  Dr.  Hiden  said :  "Brother 
Jones  was  a  man  of  wide  learning  and  had  made  himself 
familiar  with  the  best  literature  of  the  world.  Plato  de- 
lighted him.  and  the  ideal  speculations  of  that  great  man 


284         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

had  no  little  influence  upon  his  thought  and  his  style. 
Coleridge  charmed  him.  His  mind  was  saturated  with 
Shakespeare.  But  with  all  his  talents  and  learning,  he 
was  as  simple  as  a  child.  I  never  knew  a  more  perfectly- 
natural  human  being.  He  spoke  to  the  gathered  thou- 
sands exactly  as  he  talked  to  a  single  friend  in  the  most 
intimate  converse,  only  he  might  speak  rather  louder  to 
the  crowd ;  though  even  this  was  not  always  true.  I 
never  heard  him  strain  his  voice  anywhere.  It  was  deep, 
sonorous,  and  singularly  penetrating,  and  in  ordinary 
conversation  he  would,  now  and  then,  when  roused  by 
some  suggestive  point,  or  fired  with  an  apt  quotation, 
put  his  voice  to  its  full  power  and  utter  his  words  with 
tremendous  emphasis." 

Dr.  Jones  was  the  author  of  several  books.  One  of 
these  was  entitled:  "The  Great  Misnomer."  It  under- 
took to  show  that  "The  Communion"  w^as  not  as  appro- 
priate a  name  for  the  memorial  established  by  the  Sav- 
iour as  "The  Lord's  Supper."  A  prize  essay  from  his 
pen,  published  by  the  Southern  Baptist  Publication  So- 
ciety, was  called :  "The  Duties  of  Pastors  to  Churches." 
Another  work  of  which  he  was  the  author  w-as  published 
by  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society  and  bore 
the  title :  "Origin  and  Continuity  of  Baptist  Churches." 
Dr.  Jones  was  vice-president  for  several  sessions  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and  at  one  time  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary. 

Dr.  Jones  died  at  the  home  of  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  J.  B. 
Jeffress,  914  Park  Avenue.  Richmond,  Virginia,  Thurs- 
day, June  27,  1895.  At  the  funeral  the  next  day  the  fol- 
lowing ministers  took  part  in  the  services :  Rev.  Dr.  W. 
W.  Landrum,  Rev.  Dr.  George  Cooper,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  C. 
Hiden,  and  Rev.  Dr.  W.  D.  Thomas.  Nearly  all  the 
Baptist  ministers  of  Richmond  were  present.  The  burial 
took  place  in  Hollywood. 


JOHN  LEMUEL  CARROLL 

About  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  John  Car- 
roll migrated  from  Kings  County.  Ireland.  He  settled  in 
North  Carolina  and  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
His  great-grandson,  John  Lemuel  Carroll,  the  son  of 
John  Dodson  and  Ziipha  Carroll,  was  born  in  Duplin 
County,  North  Carolina,  December  21,  1836.  At  the  age 
of  nine  he  became  a  member  of  the  Beaver  Dam  Baptist 
Church,  and  in  1858  was  licensed  by  this  body.  In  1863 
he  graduated  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  having 
already  been  a  student  at  Wake  Forest  College.  Years 
later  the  University  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
He  was  ordained  in  the  Chapel  of  the  University,  May 
12,  1862.  In  1865  he  married  Sarah  G.  Mitchell,  of 
New  Berne,  N.  C. 

After  teaching  in  the  Oxford  Female  College  and  act- 
ing as  agent  for  St.  John's  College,  he  lived  at  Wake 
Forest,  where  he  was  a  trustee  of  Wake  Forest  and  sec- 
retary of  its  Board,  and  in  March,  1871,  accepted  a  call 
to  the  Baptist  Church,  Warrenton,  Virginia.  His  other 
Virginia  pastorates  were  Lexington  and  Gordonsville 
and  Orange  Court-House.  In  1885  he  accepted  a  call  to 
the  Baptist  Church  at  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  and  in 
1889  organized  in  that  city  the  French  Broad  Avenue 
Baptist  Church,  becoming  its  first  pastor.  In  1893  he 
became  pastor  at  Chapel  Hill,  the  seat  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity, where  he  continued  activelv  at  work  until  his 
death,  June  10.  1895. 

Dr.  Carroll  had  a  magnificent  body,  being  very  tall. 
In  Lexington  he  used  a  chair  several  inches  higher  than 
other  chairs.  He  was  vigorous  in  mind  and  had  a  re- 
markable memory  for  Scripture ;  his  sermons  were  full 
of  quotations  from  the  Bible.  He  excelled  in  extempo- 
raneous speaking.  "He  was  fearless  and  courageous  in 
his  ministry  and  greatly  beloved  and  respected." 

285 


SAMUEL  POINDEXTER  HUFF 

Samuel  Poindexter  Huff  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
Zion's  Hill  Meeting  House,  Botetourt  County,  Virginia, 
June  4,  1828,  and  came  from  a  family  of  German  de- 
scent. His  father  was  a  well-known  citizen  of  Bote- 
tourt, a  large  landholder,  a  leader  in  his  community,  with 
a  family  of  eleven  children.  Young  Huff  had  a  hard 
struggle  to  fit  himself  for  the  Christian  ministry,  which 
he  entered  in  his  early  youth.  He  was  received  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  church  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  his  brother, 
William,  three  years  his  senior,  being  received  the  same 
day.  Seven  years  later  the  church  set  its  seal  upon  Sam- 
uel and  William  Huff,  when  they  were  both  licensed  to 
preach  the  gospel.  Samuel  P.  Huff,  now  twenty-two, 
assumed  immediately  the  charge  of  two  small  churches 
in  an  adjoining  county.  The  five  or  six  years  that  fol- 
lowed were  marked  by  struggles  necessarily  strenuous 
because  of  the  insufficient  educational  advantages  of  that 
period.  He  was  educated,  first,  at  Roanoke  Academy, 
then  at  the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  in  Covington 
County,  and  lastly  at  the  University  of  Virginia. 

In  August,  1865,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Bettie  A. 
Jurey,  of  Charlottesville,  Virginia,  who  was  of  Huguenot 
extraction  on  the  paternal  side,  and  on  the  mother's  side 
nearly  related  to  the  descendants  of  that  Lewis  who  freed 
the  Valley  of  Virginia  from  the  terror  of  the  Indians 
and  drove  the  last  representative  of  the  old  British  offi- 
cialism from  the  soil  of  Virginia.  She  was  also  a  grand- 
daughter of  Colonel  John  Slaughter,  of  the  Revolution. 

Mr.  Huff,  refusing  a  flattering  call  to  one  of  the  West- 
ern cities,  continued  the  work  he  had  begun  in  the  Val- 

286 


SAMUEL  POINDEXTER  HUFF  287 

ley  of  Virginia.  His  profound  interest  was  in  the  strug- 
gling Baptist  cause  in  his  own  section.  During  the  per- 
iod which  followed  he  was  pastor  at  Healing  Springs, 
Goshen  Bridge,  and  Lexington,  Virginia,  but  his  best 
work  was  done  in  Albemarle  and  Nelson  Counties,  with 
the  Mount  Ed  and  Hebron  Churches,  where  he  was 
pastor  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  served  Adiel 
and  Hillsboro  Churches  for  awhile.  At  Mount  Ed,  Rev. 
John  E.  Massey,  who  had  served  the  church  for  nine 
years,  had  just  resigned  in  the  fall  of  1861  on  account 
of  the  "impaired  state  of  his  health."  On  March  27, 
1862,  this  congregation  met  "pursuant  to  appointment  to 
observe  the  day  as  a  day  of  humiliation,  prayer,  and  fast- 
ing." It  was  at  this  meeting  that  Brother  Huff  was 
unanimously  called  to  become  the  pastor  of  Mount  Ed 
Church.  The  failure  of  the  State  Mission  Board,  owing 
to  the  stress  of  the  War,  had  caused  him  to  change  his 
field.  Here  the  Baptists  were  strong  and  influential,  and 
his  labors  abundantly  blessed  of  God.  In  a  comparatively 
short  time  over  two  hundred  persons  were  added  to  his 
several  churches.  "During  the  year  1862,"  he  wrote,  "I 
baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  Hebron  Church  fourteen 
persons,  in  the  year  following  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
same  church  eighty-six,  at  Hillsboro  sixteen,  and  at 
Mount  Ed  fourteen.  During  the  years  intervening  I 
continued  to  preach  at  the  same  churches,  with  yearly 
additions.  During  the  years  1869-70,  I  preached 
once  a  month  at  Adiel  Church,  with 'twenty-five  additions. 
I  held  a  meeting  at  Mount  Ed  which  continued  six  weeks, 
in  which  seventy  made  a  profession  of  faith,  of  whom 
forty  were  received  into  the  church." 

Brother  Huff  lived,  during  all  the  time  of  this  long- 
pastorate,  at  Batesville,  Virginia,  a  little  village  in  the 
sight  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains.  He  was  a  fine  speci- 
men of  robust  and  well-proportioned  manhood,  and  his 


288         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

mind  resembled  his  body  in  its  sturdy  qualities.  Nat- 
urally of  an  argumentative  disposition,  firm  and  unyield- 
ing in  his  convictions,  he  fastened  powerfully  upon  the 
Scriptures  as  containing  the  only  way  of  refuge  and  sal- 
vation for  the  soul. 

A  small  treatise  of  Brother  Huff's,  entitled  "Infants 
Not  the  Proper  Subject  of  Christian  Baptism,"  was  very 
widely  circulated  and  highly  commended  by  the  Religious 
Herald,  then  edited  by  the  Rev.  David  Shaver.  His 
preaching  was  of  earnest  and  evangelical  character,  be- 
coming more  emotional  towards  the  latter  part  of  his 
life.  Dr.  G.  W.  Beale  says  that  "He  possessed  much  na- 
tive vigor  of  mind,  which  was  disciplined  to  habits  of 
devout  and  studious  application.  His  gifts  as  a  preacher 
were  solid  rather  than  showy.  In  the  pulpit  he  was 
sound,  scriptural,  instructive,  and  useful,  and  his  guile- 
less life  w'as  in  beautiful  harmony  with  his  doctrine." 
He  was  a  man  not  naturally  demonstrative,  mild  in  man- 
ner, but  unbending  in  dignity,  strong  in  conviction,  up- 
right in  character,  and  entertaining  the  utmost  good  will 
towards  all  men.  Such  is  the  man  w^ho,  for  twenty-five 
long  years,  went  in  and  out  among  the  people  in  the 
Batesville  neighborhood  and  lived  such  a  life  as  to  leave 
a  fragrant  memory  even  to  the  present  day.  He  was 
passionately  fond  of  flowers,  and  devoted  about  half  of 
the  yard  of  the  little  parsonage  to  an  extraordinary  va- 
riety of  "serials,"  as  they  were  called.  This  interest  he 
shared  with  his  wife, 'who  was  at  one  time  in  the  faculty 
of  Hollins  Institute,  and  a  botanist  who  brought  a  real 
scientific  skill  to  the  support  of  their  mutual  interest. 
Mrs.  Huff  was  an  artist  and  linguist,  but  with  a  warm 
and  emotional  nature  and  a  strong  sense  of  duty — quali- 
ties which  beautifully  fitted  her  for  a  pastor's  wife. 

On  May  15,  1887,  he  resigned  Mount  Ed  and  Hebron 
Churches  to  accept  the  chaplaincy  of  Miller  School,  lo- 
cated but  a  few  miles  away,  thus  remaining  two  years 


SAMUEL  POINDEXTER  HUEF  289 

longer  in  the  neighborhood  he  loved  so  well,  and  where 
he  had  labored  so  long  and  successfully. 

In  the  summer  of  1889  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Second  Baptist  Church  in  Petersburg,  Virginia. 
For  three  years  he  labored  with  this  band  of  believers, 
making  many  warm  friends  and  raising  a  considerable 
amount  of  money  towards  a  new  church  building.  His 
next  and  last  charge  was  in  Westmoreland  and  Rich- 
mond Counties.  This  field  was  composed  of  Nomini, 
Machodoc,  and  Menokin  Churches,  and  this  pastorate 
began  in  1892.  He  was  now  sixty- four  years  old,  but 
by  the  great  waters  of  the  Potomac,  in  the  full  scent  of 
the  sea,  surrounded  by  the  wild  rose  and  the  magnificent 
poplars  planted  by  the  early  settlers,  he  seemed  to  take 
a  new  hold  on  life.  He  was  still  a  fine  specimen  of 
strong  manhood,  extremely  active  for  his  age,  and  singu- 
larly free  from  the  physical  disorders  that  had  been  so 
great  a  trial  during  his  early  ministry.  But  it  was 
here  that  the  old  disorder  returned,  and  other  com- 
plications set  in,  which  necessitated  an  examination  in 
Baltimore  by  eminent  specialists.  In  Baltimore,  at  the 
home  of  his  son,  Slaughter  W.  Hufif,  after  a  long  life 
amid  the  freshness  and  serenity  of  the  country,  he  lin- 
gered for  several  years,  and  died  amid  the  noises  of  a 
strange  city  on  January  13,  1896. 

It  was  his  lot  to  live  for  months  in  the  shadow  of  the 
great  and  mysterious  beyond,  on  the  verge  of  eternity,  in 
the  valley  and  shadow  of  death.  "I  think  constantly 
about  it,"  he  said  to  his  other  son,  Lewis  J.  Hufif,  "but 
I  submit  to  the  will  of  Providence."  When  the  end  came 
he  niet  it  with  complete  fortitude  and  strength  of  the 
Christian  and  philosopher.  He  was  laid  to  rest  at  Cul- 
peper,  V^irginia,  in  the  soil  of  the  State  he  loved  so  much. 
The  cemetery  lay  out  in  full  view  of  the  mountains  that 
were  so  indissolubly  connected  with  the  best  work  of  his 
life,  and  from  whose  slope  many  precious  souls  would 
rise  to  join  him  on  the  Great  Day. 

L.  Pcxton  Little. 


EDWARD  GRANVILLE  BAPTIST 

Edward  Granville  Baptist  was  born  in  Powhatan,  Vir- 
ginia, on  March  27,  1828,  his  parents  being  Rev.  Edward 
Baptist  and  Eliza  J.  C.  Eggleston.  When  Edward  was 
some  eight  years  old  his  father,  who  was  one  of  the 
leading  Baptist  ministers  of  Virginia,  moved,  with  his 
family,  to  Marengo  County,  Alabama.  Alabama  became 
one  of  the  States  of  the  Union  on  December  14,  1819, 
and  about  the  time  the  Baptists  went  thither  was  attract- 
ing newcomers.  It  was  still  to  a  large  degree  in  a  nat- 
ural state,  and  in  certain  sections  wolves  were  not  un- 
common. Such  a  trip  must  have  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  the  growing  boy.  At  an  early  age  he  professed 
faith  in  Christ  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Lilburn  L.  Fox, 
who  had  been  born  in  Louisa  County,  Virginia,  and 
whose  grandfather  was  a  near  relative  of  the  English 
statesman,  Charles  James  Fox.  When  he  was  about 
twenty-four  years  old,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry, 
his  father.  Rev.  Mr.  Fox  and  others  forming  the  pres- 
bytery. "The  first  years  of  his  ministry  were  spent  in 
Alabama,  where  he  served  several  important  fields  with 
acceptance."  In  1856  he  visited  his  native  State,  and, 
having  accepted  calls  to  Wallers  and  Mine  Road 
Churches,  settled  in  Spottsylvania  County.  From  this 
time  until  his  death,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  years 
in  Alabama,  he  lived  among  the  people  of  Spottsylvania 
County.  During  these  years  he  served,  besides  the 
churches  named  above,  the  following  churches  which 
were  in  reach  of  his  home:  County  Line  and  Mount 
Carmel,  in  Caroline;  Elon,  in  Hanover;  Massaponax, 
Goshen,  Mount  Hermon,  Good  Hope,  Wilderness,  and 
Rhoadesville,  in  Spottsylvania;  Elk  Creek,  Lower  Gold 
Mine,  and  Berea,  in  Louisa;  Beulah  and  Mount  Gilead, 
in  Fluvanna.  In  the  year  1893  he  was  pastor  of  these 
churches:      Goshen,   with   a  membership   of   76\    Mine 

290 


EDWARD  GRANVILLE  BAPTIST         291 

Road,  with  142;  Mount  Hermon,  with  126,  and  Rhoades- 
ville,  with  129.  On  the  Saturday  before  the  first  Sun- 
day and  on  the  first  Sunday  he  preached  at  Mount  Her- 
mon. On  the  second  Sunday,  and  the  Saturday  before, 
he  was  at  Mine  Road.  On  the  third  Sunday  he  preached 
at  Goshen,  and  on  the  fourth  Sunday  he  was  due  at 
Rhoadesville,  and  once  every  quarter  he  was  here  for  a 
Saturday  service  on  the  Saturday  before  the  fourth  Sun- 
day. It  appears  that  the  membership  of  his  four  churches 
this  year  made  an  aggregate  of  473.  During  the  year 
he  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  these  four  churches 
fifty-eight  persons.  There  were  335  in  the  four  Sunday 
schools  and  the  contributions  of  the  churches  to  missions 
amounted  to  $696.39.  His  salary  this  year  was  $410, 
but  it  is  probable  that  besides,  generous  supplies  found 
their  way  to  his  pantry. 

Rev.  Dr.  L.  J.  Haley,  who  wrote  Mr.  Baptist's  obitu- 
ary for  the  General  Association  Minutes  for  1896,  from 
which  some  of  the  facts  of  this  sketch  are  taken,  says: 
"Elder  Baptist  was  a  man  of  stern  and  upright  religious 
and  moral  character.  He  was  a  true  and  unselfish  friend ; 
kind  and  gentle  in  his  family ;  a  friendly  and  generous 
neighbor;  a  loyal  and  patriotic  citizen;  an  able  and  elo- 
quent preacher  of  the  gospel ;  a  faithful  and  loving  pas- 
tor, and  a  man  and  a  Christian,  who  in  all  the  relations 
and  responsibilities  of  life  earnestly  and  conscientiously 
strove  to  do  his  duty  and  to  make  himself  useful  and 
helpful  to  his  fellow-man.  He  was  a  man  of  extraordi- 
nary power  and  ability  in  the  pulpit.  I  think  I  can  truth- 
fully say  that  some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  pulpit  ora- 
tory I  ever  listened  to  came  from  the  lips  of  E.  G.  Bap- 
tist." 

In  June,  1894,  when  apparently  in  vigorous  health, 
while  talking  with  a  neighbor,  he  suffered  a  slight  stroke 
of  paralysis.  Other  troubles  set  in,  and  finally  on  the 
morning  of  Wednesday,  January  29,  1896,  in  his  own 
home  and  surrounded  by  his  family,  he  quietly  fell  on 
sleep. 


JOHN  A.  DOLL 

John  A.  Doll  was  born  in  Maryland,  October  7,  182L 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  united  with  the  Methodists, 
and  in  early  manhood  became  an  itinerant  preacher  of 
that  denomination.  As  a  Methodist  preacher  he  traveled 
and  preached  in  some  forty  counties.  On  October  24, 
1853,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sallie  A.  Hoge,  of  Scotts- 
ville,  Virginia,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  P.  C.  Hoge,  a  popu- 
lar Baptist  preacher.  This  step  naturally  led  him  to  the 
study  of  Baptist  doctrines,  ancl  in  1856  he  was  baptized 
by  Rev.  J.  H.  Fox  and  was  from  this  time  forward  a 
loyal  Baptist  and  a  zealous  defender  of  the  faith.  For 
some  time  he  had  no  regular  charge,  but  assisted  Mr. 
Hoge,  filling  many  of  his  numerous  appointments. 
Finally,  however,  he  became  a  pastor,  serving,  and  serv- 
ing well.  Hardware,  Bethany,  and  Slate  Hill,  and  per- 
haps other  churches,  in  the  Albemarle  Association. 
About  six  years  before  his  death,  he  went  with  his  wife 
to  live  in  Florida,  where  he  spent  the  two  most  pleasant 
years  of  his  ministerial  career,  but  failing  health  made 
it  necessary  for  him  to  return  to  Virginia.  In  December, 
1895,  he  and  his  wife  Went  to  Kentucky  to  visit  her 
brother.  On  March  20,  1896,  while  in  the  post-office  in 
Frankfort,  Ky.,  he  suddenly  fell,  and  before  any  one 
could  reach  him,  he  had  expired.  Rev.  Dr.  H.  W.  Tribble 
wrote  Mr.  Doll's  obituary  for  the  General  Association 
Minutes.  From  this  notice  most  of  the  facts  and  some 
of  the  language  of  the  foregoing  part  of  this  sketch  are 
taken. 

The  following  story,  which  Mr.  Doll  sent  to  the  Re- 
ligious Herald,  not  only  shows  him  "in  lighter  vein,"  but 
also  gives  evidence  of  his  loyalty  to  his  State  denomina- 

292 


JOHN  A.  DOLL  293 

tional  paper :  A  certain  Baptist  brother  who  did  not  take 
the  Herald,  in  November,  1886,  was  called  to  the  Valley 
of  Virginia  on  business.  Upon  arriving  in  Staunton  he 
was  surprised  to  find  Baptists  to  right  and  Baptists  to 
left.  He  did  not  know  what  it  meant.  Upon  inquiry,  he 
found  that  the  General  Association  was  in  session.  So 
he  decided  to  stay  and  enjoy  the  meeting,  but  he  could 
find  no  place  at  the  hotels.  Then  he  applied  to  the  com- 
mittee on  hospitality,  but  they  were  able  to  care  only  for 
"accredited  delegates."  Finally,  after  securing  a  place, 
he  found  that  his  money  was  running  low,  so  he  decided 
to  go  on.  Mr.  Doll,  who  had  often  urged  him  to  sub- 
scribe to  the  Herald,  now,  with  great  relish,  reminded 
him  that  had  he  paid  his  two  dollars  for  the  paper  he 
would  have  more  than  gotten  it  back  in  his  Ijoard  at 
Staunton. 


WILLIAM  SLATE 

A  native  of  Tennessee,  William  Slate  spent  his  life 
in  Virginia.  He  was  born  November  15,  1833.  Upon 
the  death  of  his  father,  when  he  was  quite  a  child,  his 
mother  returned  to  her  native  State,  Virginia,  and  settled 
near  Vernon  Hill,  Halifax  County.  She,  being  anything 
but  rich,  could  do  little  for  the  education  of  her  boy. 
He  was  forced  to  struggle  for  an  education.  He  had 
been  converted  at  an  early  age,  and  after  long  considera- 
tion decided  to  preach.  He  knew  that  he  was  not  quali- 
fied for  this  work,  and  also  that  his  mother  would  be 
unable  to  give  him  financial  aid  in  securing  an  education. 
With  these  difficulties  clearly  seen,  he  moved  forward  in 
what  he  felt  to  be  the  path  of  duty.  He  attended  the 
academy  at  Meadsville,  Halifax  County,  two  sessions. 
When  the  time  came  for  him  to  go  to  Richmond  College, 
God  raised  him  up  a  friend  who  loaned  him  the  money 
he  needed.  He  was  a  student  at  the  College  for  four 
sessions.  Rev.  Dr.  W.  J.  Shipman,  who  was  a  fellow- 
student  with  Mr.  Slate  at  Richmond  College,  and  whose 
tribute  to  his  friend  in  the  Herald  of  December  31,  1896, 
furnishes  many  of  the  facts,  and  in  places  the  language 
of  this  sketch,  gives  this  picture  of  Mr.  Slate  in  his  col- 
lege days :  "He  was  a  quiet,  dignified  and  rather  retir- 
ing young  man.  .  .  .  He  was  a  good  thinker  and  must 
know  all  about  the  subject  in  which  he  was  interested  or 
with  which  he  had  to  do.  He  would  always  listen  atten- 
tively to  any  information  given,  but  was  not  satisfied  until 
he  investigated  for  himself.  As  a  student  he  was  not 
quick  in  grasping  the  instruction  of  his  professors  and 
text-books,  his  mind  possessing  that  admirable  trait  of 

294 


WILLIAM  SLATE  295 

rigid  exactness  in  all  its  investigations.  His  acquire- 
ments, therefore,  were  the  result  of  thorough  research, 
and  to  that  was  due  the  fact  that  he  was  trustworthy  in 
any  advice  given.  This  admirable  trait  ran  all  through 
his  useful  life.  .  .  .  He  was  a  deeply  pious  young 
man  and  withdrew  from  everything  that  did  not  promote 
true  personal  piety."  When  he  left  Richmond  College 
he  was  in  debt  to  the  amount  of  $1,000,  but  within  three 
years  he  had  not  only  met  this  obligation,  but  had  pro- 
vided himself  with  a  horse  and  buggy. 

In  August,  1858,  he  was  ordained  near  his  home  at 
Mount  Vernon  Church,  Halifax  County,  Roanoke  Asso- 
ciation. For  thirty-eight  years  his  pastoral  career  con- 
tinued. His  life  work  was  mainly  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Dan  River  Association,  but  extended  also  into  the 
territory  of  the  Roanoke.  In  the  former  Association 
he  served  the  following  churches  :  Aaron's  Creek,  Arbor, 
Black  Walnut,  Catawba,  Childrey,  Clover,  Cross  Roads, 
Dan  River,  Ellis  Creek,  Fork,  Grace,  Mill  Stone,  North 
Fork,  and  Winn's  Creek.  In  the  latter  Association  his 
churches  were  Shockoe,  County  Line,  and  Sandy  River. 
His  pastorate  at  Milton,  North  Carolina,  was  brief.  Mr. 
Slate  was  gifted  in  protracted  meetings,  when  he  would 
preach  with  great  power  and  tenderness.  In  a  meeting 
at  Black  Walnut,  where  he  assisted  the  pastor.  Rev.  S.  G. 
Mason,  there  was  a  large  ingathering,  and  many  con- 
verted at  that  time  became  useful  and  prominent  in  the 
church.  During  his  long  ministry  he  probably  baptized 
3.000  persons,  while  the  number  of  funerals  and  mar- 
riages which  he  conducted  was  large.  As  a  pastor  he 
was  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  and  to  undergo  any 
amount  of  labor  to  be  helpful  to  his  people.  He  was 
constantly  seeking  to  lead  his  churches  to  richer  fields  of 
usefulness  and  greater  fruitage  for  the  Master.  His 
mind  was  of  a  wonderfully  practical  turn  and  his  advice 


296         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

was  sought  as  to  business  matters  as  well  as  to  church 
work.  In  his  town  of  South  Boston  scarcely  any  enter- 
prise of  importance  was  started  that  his  counsel  was  not 
asked.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy 
A.  Jordan,  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Elijah  Jordan,  of  Black 
Walnut  Church,  Halifax  County.  With  her  three  sons 
and  three  daughters  she  survived  him. 

He  was  appointed,  as  the  senior  pastor  of  the  body,  to 
preach  the  memorial  address  at  the  semi-centennial  meet- 
ing of  the  Dan  River  Association,  held  at  Black  Walnut 
Church,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  and  Thursday,  July  30, 
31,  and  August  1,  1889.  But  alas,  this  address  was  never 
delivered.  On  the  first  day  of  the  meeting,  when  the  spe- 
cial exercises  were  to  have  taken  place,  in  view  of  the 
absence  of  Rev.  S.  G.  Mason,  who,  as  the  only  minister 
present  at  the  organization  that  was  still  alive,  was  on 
the  programme,  the  order  of  the  day  was  postponed. 
The  whole  meeting  of  the  Association  was  deranged  be- 
cause of  rain.  From  July  18  through  the  time  of  the 
Association  it  rained  every  day.  Rev.  S.  G.  Mason,  Rev. 
J.  B.  Williams  and  others  were  unable  to  reach  the  Asso- 
ciation at  all  on  account  of  high  waters.  On  the  even- 
ing of  the  second  day's  session  the  Dan  River  rose  so 
high  that  Mr.  Slate,  Mr.  R.  H.  Beazley  and  others  from 
South  Boston  and  the  vicinity  were  unable  to  get  back 
to  the  Association  the  next  clay.  So  the  memorial  ad- 
dress was  never  delivered.  In  1865  and  in  1866  he  was 
moderator  of  the  Association,  and  three  times,  namely, 
in  1861,  1870,  and  1887,  he  preached  the  introductory 
sermon  before  the  body,  his  texts  on  these  occasions  be- 
ing, respectively,  I  Sam.  13:18,  Mark  12:37,  Ps.  122:7. 
On  the  evening  of  Thursday,  November  5,  1896,  Mr. 
Slate  passed  from  earth  to  his  reward  in  heaven. 


GEORGE  H.  CHAPLIN 

George  H.  Chaplin  was  born  in  Lynchburg,  Virginia. 
In  early  life  he  moved  to  Leakesville,  North  Carolina, 
where  he  accepted  Christ  and  united  with  the  Baptist 
Church.  His  earliest  religious  impressions  had  been  pro- 
duced by  a  service  in  the  Danville  Baptist  Church  con- 
ducted by  Rev.  J.  L.  Prichard.  It  was  probably  about 
1850  that  he  moved  to  Carroll  County,  where  he  united 
with  the  church  at  Meadows  of  Dan,  Patrick  County. 
Of  this  church  he  was  for  years  a  loyal  member  and  for 
over  two  years  its  pastor.  On  February  10,  1877,  the 
Stone  Mountain  Baptist  Church,  Carroll  County,  was 
organized  by  Mr.  Chaplin,  with  sixteen  members.  From 
this  time  until  his  death  Mr.  Chaplin  was  pastor  of  this 
church.  He  did  not  give  all  his  time  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  but  was  also  a  tanner  and  farmer.  While  not 
a  man  of  extensive  learning,  he  possessed  a  mind  of  na- 
tive brilliancy,  and  was  a  forcible  gospel  preacher.  He 
had  a  remarkable  famiharity  with  the  Scriptures,  and  his 
sermons  were  simple,  sound,  logical.  He  had  the  gift 
of  pathos  in  a  high  degree  and  stirred  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers  by  his  rugged  eloquence.  While  he  moved  in  a 
narrow  sphere,  he  was  faithful.  He  died,  at  the  home 
of  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Grant  Marshall,  in  Carroll  County, 
Virginia,  February  1,  1897,  in  the  seventy-second  year 
of  his  age.  This  sketch  is,  in  the  main,  the  obituary,  from 
the  pen  of  Rev.  R.  E.  White,  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Gen- 
eral Association  for  1897. 


297 


HENRY  HERBERT  HARRIS 

Henry  Herbert  Harris  was  born  in  Louisa  County, 
Virginia,  December  17,  1837.  His  parents  were  of 
Scotch  and  Welsh  extraction,  and  in  the  home  of  his 
childhood  there  was  the  atmosphere  of  piety.  He  was 
a  student  almost  from  his  cradle.  At  two  years  of  age 
he  learned  to  read,  and  in  his  first  school  days,  his  sister 
being  his  teacher,  he  was  a  promising  scholar.  In  the 
neighborhood  school  he  learned  the  rudiments  of  Latin 
and  Greek,  though  frail  health  more  than  once  inter- 
rupted his  studies.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  old  he 
was  converted,  and  in  the  month  of  November  baptized 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  Lower  Gold  Mine  Church. 
He  was  active  in  prayer-meetings  and  other  such  services 
from  the  very  first.  In  1854  he  entered  the  Junior  Class 
at  Richmond  College  and  in  two  years  graduated.  He 
taught  a  high  school  a  year  and  then,  with  his  brother, 
entered  the  University  of  Virginia.  During  his  life  at 
this  institution  he  was  very  active  in  a  work  of  grace 
that  went  on  among  the  students  and  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  there,  the  first  College 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  the  world.  His  first  session  he  had  the 
"green  ticket,"  and  at  the  end  of  his  third  year  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  having  studied, 
besides  the  required  course,  Hebrew  and  Applied  Mathe- 
matics. 

It  is  interesting  to  remember  that  upon  his  graduation 
at  the  University  of  Virginia  he  was  offered  and  declined 
the  chair  of  Greek  at  Richmond  College,  the  work  to 
which  he  was  to  give  later  the  best  years  of  his  life.  He 
did  accept  work  at  the  Albemarle  Female  Institute,  Char- 

298 


HENRY  HERBERT  HARRIS  299 

lottesville,  though,  after  a  year,  the  call  of  war  rang  in 
his  ears  and  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Confederate 
Army.  In  1862  his  company  disbanded  and  he  entered 
the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  After  one 
month,  however,  he  was  again  in  the  army,  now  as  an 
artillerist  under  Stonewall  Jackson.  At  Port  Republic, 
on  June  8.  1862,  two  guns  were  so  quickly  thrown  into 
action  and  so  well  served  that  the  dash  of  the  enemy 
across  the  bridge  was  checked  and  the  day  saved,  and 
behind  one  of  these  guns  was  H.  H.  Harris,  cool  and 
skilful.  In  1863  a  regiment  of  engineers  was  formed 
and  Harris  was  first  lieutenant.  Once  General  Lee  said 
of  him :  "I  remember  him  very  well.  He  did  excellent 
work  and  was  one  of  our  rising  young  engineers."  In 
the  spring  of  1864,  in  the  campaign  from  the  Wilderness 
to  Cold  Harbor,  he  was  ordered  to  build  a  bridge  across 
a  swollen  river,  which,  by  reason  of  floating  logs  and 
debris,  was  dangerous.  The  men  he  ordered  to  carry  a 
rope  across  the  stream  refused.  "Will  you  follow  me?" 
he  asked.  "Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "we  will  follow  you  any- 
where." He  at  once  pulled  off  his  coat,  plunged  into  the 
water,  was  followed  by  his  soldiers,  and  the  bridge  was 
built.  In  1858  he  had  been  licensed  to  preach,  his  first 
sermon  being  to  a  congregation  of  colored  people.  In 
1864  a  colonel  applied  to  the  War  Department  asking 
that  H.  H.  Harris  be  made  chaplain  of  his  regiment. 
The  request  was  refused,  the  reason  assigned  being  that 
he  was  too  useful  a  man  where  he  was,  and  that,  besides, 
he  was  doing  much  religious  work  where  he  was. 

When  the  War  was  over  he  taught  again  for  a  year 
at  the  Albemarle  Female  Institute.  He  was  one  of  a 
committee  of  three  from  the  Richmond  College  alumni 
who  appeared  before  the  General  Association  urging  the 
reopening  of  the  College,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
all  of  its  endowment  had  been  swept  away  by  the  War, 


300         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

and  in  1866,  along  with  B.  Puryear,  became  a  professor 
at  his  ahna  mater.  He  was  invited  to  teach  Greek  and 
German,  and  this  work  he  took  up,  although  his  prefer- 
ence was  for  Mathematics  and  the  exact  sciences.  After 
1873  German  was  given  to  another,  he  continuing  in  the 
Greek  department,  where  he  was  to  remain  for  twenty- 
nine  years  and  where  he  was  to  win  for  himself  a  name 
and  fame. 

Richmond  College  was  destined  to  become  the  bright 
particular  star  in  his  horizon.  Here  he  spent  almost  half 
of  his  days,  and  here,  as  teacher,  editor,  church  member, 
denominational  leader,  he  was  to  do  his  life  work.  While 
he  touched  many  things,  and,  like  Goldsmith,  touched 
nothing  he  did  not  adorn,  yet  he  was  prominent  as  a 
teacher,  and  in  any  account  of  the  activities  which  kept 
him  busy,  heart  and  hand  and  head,  his  record  as  Pro- 
fessor of  Greek  in  Richmond  College  must  come  first. 

What  a  born  teacher  he  was !  He  not  only  knew 
Greek,  but  he  knew  how  to  help  others  to  know  it.  In 
order  that  the  forms  of  the  language  should  be  mastered, 
he  insisted  on  a  long  and  determined  drill,  yet  he  kept 
this  drill  from  being  monotonous  by  many  devices ;  there 
was  his  play  of  humor  turning  into  scathing  sarcasm  for 
the  student  who  was  trying  to  shirk  work,  there  was  his 
famous  diagram  of  the  Greek  verb,  there  was  his  own 
enthusiasm  and  interest  over  the  smallest  detail.  As  the 
student  progressed  the  richness  and  power  of  the  Greek 
language  more  fully  appeared.  With  the  senior  class, 
if  not  before,  the  glory  of  Greek  literature  and  Greek 
art  and  the  history  of  this  classic  land  were  sure  to  take 
possession  of  the  student  and  to  be  for  him  a  possession 
forever.  For  many  years  the  Greek  lecture-room  was 
a  very  dark,  unattractive  room,  but  hundreds  of  students 
remember  it  as  full  of  light  and  quickening  for  noble 
thousfhts  and  aims.     Professor  Harris  was  a  great  be- 


HENRY  HERBERT  HARRIS  301 

licver  in  following  one  question  with  another  until  the 
origin  or  law  or  meaning  of  a  word  was  forthcoming. 
How  he  would  laugh  at  slips,  and  yet  his  face  could  be 
as  noncommittal  as  that  of  the  sphinx  to  the  poor  fellow 
floundering  around  in  his  ignorance  and  catching  at 
straws.  In  teaching  he  would  now  walk  the  room,  now 
sit  back  in  his  chair  and  play  with  a  ring  of  keys,  now 
stand  and  prop  his  head  back  with  a  long  rod  used  for 
pointing  at  the  blackboard.  If  a  word  presented  a  prob- 
lem he  would  help  the  earnest  student  by  dissecting  it 
until  the  root  was  found  and  then  build  it  up  until  it  was 
back  where  he  started.  He  might  come  to  a  word  he 
did  not  know.  He  would  frankly  admit  this  fact,  but 
few  words  could  withhold  their  meaning  from  the  power 
of  his  analysis. 

Doubtless  one  reason  that  his  teaching  throbbed  so, 
was  that  he  was  ever  renewing  and  enlarging  his  own 
acquaintance  with  his  subject.  He  said  to  his  students 
at  the  close  of  one  session:  "Young  gentlemen,  I  do 
not  know  how  much  Greek  you  have  learned  this  session, 
but  I  have  learned  more  than  in  any  year  for  a  long 
while."  After  he  returned  from  Greece  and  Palestine 
in  1878,  the  side-lights  he  threw  upon  all  the  classroom 
work  were  fascinating  and  inspiring;  he  made  the  boys 
feel  almost  as  if  they  had  been  to  Greece  themselves. 
He  varied  his  course  of  reading  in  Greek  authors  and 
also  his  plans  for  getting  work  from  the  student.  He 
took  up  the  study  of  the  orations  of  Lysias  with  one  of 
his  classes,  probably  the  Intermediate,  when  this  author 
was  not  read  in  any  American  college  and  when  no  sat- 
isfactory edition  was  to  be  had ;  now  it  is  quite  gener- 
ally read.  In  the  study  of  Greek  history  he  would  often 
give  out  questions  of  the  examination  beforehand,  al- 
lowing the  student  to  make  all  the  preparation  he  cared 
to  for  answering  them  when  he  entered  the  examination- 


302         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

room ;  this  may  seem  a  strange  method,  but  a  sample  of 
these  questions  will  explode  any  such  theory,  for  ex- 
ample, ''Trace  the  hegemony  of  Greece." 

He  never  allowed  a  student  to  trifle  with  him.  He 
was  apt  to  know  whether  you  were  studying  or  no. 
Once  a  student  who  was  always  resorting  to  devices  to 
hide  his  laziness  and  ignorance,  when  he  found  he  was 
about  to  be  called  upon,  slipped  down  under  the  benches, 
hoping  Professor  Harris  would  think  he  had  not  an- 
swered as  present.  He  did  call  on  this  student,  and 
when  no  response  came,  called  on  some  one  else  and  went 
on  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  occurred.  When  the  class 
was  dismissed,  Professor  Harris  seated  himself  in  his 
chair,  took  up  a  book  and  began  to  read.  The  boy  was 
"game"  for  some  time,  but  finally  surrendered  and  came 
out. 

While  the  Greek  was  the  main  business,  still  the  stu- 
dent under  Professor  Harris  in  his  Greek  work  learned 
much  of  many  kindred  and  not  a  few  far-away  matters. 
A  student  who  is  now  a  professor  says  that  he  learned 
more  English  under  Professor  Harris  in  studying  Greek 
than  from  any  other  single  source,  and  received  many 
of  his  best  ideas  of  Latin  grammar  and  etymology.  Pro- 
fessor Harris  took  illustrations  from  far  and  near  to 
illuminate  the  Greek,  making  the  Greek  in  its  turn  help 
in  other  fields.  Who  could  study  Greek  under  such  a 
teacher  and  not  use  more  effectively  his  own  mother 
English  ? 

It  was  the  general  opinion  among  the  students  and 
faculty  also  that  Professor  Harris  could  teach,  and  on 
short  notice,  too,  any  class  in  college.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  in  the  course  of  the  years  he  did  supply  more  than 
one  vacant  place  in  the  teaching  force.  When  Dr.  Curry 
resigned  to  take  up  the  Peabody  Fund  work,  Professor 
Harris    taught    Philosophy    for    some    months.      As    a 


HENRY  HERBERT  HARRIS  303 

teacher  he  was  always  trying  to  lead  his  students  to  do 
their  own  thinking.  Philosophy,  of  course,  gave  un- 
usual opportunity  for  him  to  work  in  this  direction. 
Sometimes  his  opening  question  would  seem  to  bear  no 
relation  to  the  matter  in  hand,  but  gradually  the  subject 
under  consideration  would  stand  forth  in  clearest  light. 
One  day  he  called  the  roll,  and  then,  turning  his  eyes  up- 
ward, he  fixed  his  gaze  upon  a  hook  in  the  center  of  the 
ceiling.  It  was  quite  a  time  before  he  said  a  word  or 
turned  away  his  eyes.  Presently  he  called  on  one  stu- 
dent, asking:  "What  is  that  hook  for?"  When  the  an- 
swer came:  "I  do  not  know,"  his  question  went  the 
round  of  the  class,  no  one  being  able  to  tell  why  the 
hook  was  there.  No  one  had  ever  seen  it  used  in  any 
way.  It  was  possibly  not  until  the  next  day  that  he 
told  us  that  the  hook  had  been  placed  in  the  ceiling  when 
the  College  buildings,  during  the  Civil  War,  were  used 
for  a  hospital.  And  the  lesson  which  the  hook  taught 
those  students  is  plain. 

The  student  who  did  not  enjoy  the  hour  under  Pro- 
fessor Harris  was  the  exception.  A  student,  who  had 
started  out  with  the  hope  of  winning  the  Francis  Gwin 
medal,  asked  Professor  Harris,  when  the  last  examina- 
tion was  over,  whether  the  medal  was  coming  his  way. 
"What  do  you  think  about  it,  Mr.  B.  ?"  was  Professor 
Harris'  reply.  "Well,  I  do  not  know  about  getting  the 
medal,  but  I  know  I  have  had  lots  of  fun." 

Professor  Harris'  sphere  as  a  teacher  was  not  limited 
to  his  College  classes.  He  was  an  unceasing  student  of 
the  Bible  and  taught  it  with  wonderful  power  and  charm. 
He  had  a  class  in  Bible  History  and  another  for  the  study 
of  the  Greek  New  Testament.  Concerning  these  classes, 
Dr.  W.  O.  Carver  says :  "I  remember  the  carefully  pre- 
pared outline  of  daily  readings  arranged  in  historical 
setting,  all  neatly  printed  and  bound,  which  he  so  gladly 


304         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

furnished  to  all  who  would  agree  to  use  them  and  to  meet 
him  one  evening  in  the  week  to  talk  over  the  course  read. 
.  .  .  The  number  of  students  who  availed  themselves 
of  this  great  opportunity  was  generally  small.  The 
course  was  free  and  optional,  and  the  teacher  was  too 
modest  and  sensitive  to  advertise  it.  Indeed,  I  do  not 
think  he  ever  knew  himself  the  value  of  his  work.  .  .  . 
Dr.  Harris  came  to  the  meetings  of  this  class  with  brief 
suggestive  notes.  He  lectured  sitting,  sometimes  in  his 
chair,  sometimes  on  the  end  of  a  desk  right  up  in  the 
midst  of  his  boys.  Then  he  would  go  to  the  board  to 
illustrate  something  and  casually  take  his  seat  on  the 
table,  draw  one  leg  up  and  across  under  the  other,  which 
swung  loose  without  reaching  the  floor,  and  in  this  atti- 
tude I  have  heard  him  deliver  some  of  the  sublimest  lec- 
tures to  which  I  have  ever  listened.  .  .  .  When  he 
could  find  a  sufficient  number — and  three  would  encour- 
age him — who  would  agree  to  meet  him  once  a  week  for 
study  of  the  New  Testament  in  Greek,  he  was  happy. 
All  this  work,  of  course,  was  undertaken  of  his  own  ac- 
cord and  without  compensation  save  the  added  joy  which 
the  Master  gave  to  a  willing  servant." 

Professor  Harris  taught  for  years  a  Bible  class  of  stu- 
dents at  the  Grace  Street  Baptist  Sunday  School.  The 
room  in  which  this  class  met  was  singularly  unfitted  for 
such  service  and  highly  uncomfortable.  It  was  under  a 
stairway  leading  to  the  pastor's  study.  Rarely  did  the 
class  ever  meet  that  it  was  not  interrupted  by  persons 
passing  through  on  their  way  to  see  the  pastor.  And 
there  were  other  interruptions.  The  room  was  so  small, 
and  the  class  so  large,  that  usually  each  chair  had  at 
least  two  occupants.  There  was  no  particular  place  for 
the  teacher  to  stand,  and  so  he  stood  first  here  and  then 
there.  How  did  he  ever  manage  to  teach  at  all  with  such 
unfavorable  external  conditions?    Yet  what  great  teach- 


HENRY  HERBERT  HARRIS  305 

ing  it  was !  Students  look  back  and  see  how  splendid  the 
teaching  in  this  class  was,  though  at  the  time  they  did  not 
realize  this.  Yet  all  must  have  felt  the  charm  and  power 
of  the  hour,  though  they  did  not  stop  then  and  analyze  it. 
Did  they  not  crowd  the  room,  Sunday  after  Sunday? 
Did  they  not  sit  on  the  steps  and  even  on  the  floor? 
Did  not  all  classes  of  students  come  to  this  room,  and 
not  simply  the  ministerial  students  and  those  who  were 
professors  of  religion? 

He  touched  the  student  life  at  many  points.  Profes- 
sor Puryear  said  of  him  that  he  mixed  with  the  students 
more  than  any  other  one  of  the  professors.  He  was 
usually  seen  on  the  baseball  field  in  the  afternoon.  He 
was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  meetings  of  the  Mu  Sigma 
Rho  and  Philologian  Literary  Societies.  The  students 
consulted  him  about  all  sorts  of  things.  He  was  very 
popular  among  them.  Those  who  were  present  can  never 
forget  his  first  appearance  among  the  students  after  a 
serious  and  protracted  illness.  It  was  in  the  Mu  Sigma 
Rho  Hall.  During  his  illness  his  hair  had  turned  en- 
tirely white.  He  received  a  great  ovation.  It  seemed 
as  though  the  applause  would  not  cease.  He  was  greeted 
by  round  after  round,  and  it  was  sincere,  tender,  glad. 

Professor  Harris  made  the  students  feel  at  home  in 
his  home.  Commencement  night  the  Greek  class  had 
right  of  way  in  the  spacious  parlors,  and  all  through  the 
session,  all  through  the  years,  students  and  others  en- 
joyed the  hospitality  of  this  home.  In  a  pen  picture  of 
Professor  Harris  in  his  home,  drawn  by  one  well  fitted 
for  the  task,  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Har- 
ris was  wonderfully  qualified  by  constitution,  training 
and  culture  to  be  her  husband's  complement.  While,  by 
reason  of  frail  health,  he  was  often  in  danger  of  depres- 
sion and  even  despondency,  his  wife,  robust  and  strong, 
with   a   face   full  of  sunshine  and  a  sweet  disposition, 


306         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

brought  cheerfulness  and  brightness  into  the  home.  The 
same  writer  also  says:  "It  was  interesting  to  observe 
how  entirely  free  from  either  constraint  or  affectation 
were  the  family  in  the  presence  of  visitors  and  how  the 
home  life  moved  on  without  interruption."  Just  as  there 
was  rarely  any  change  made  in  the  usual  repast,  the  visi- 
tor being  invited  to  share  with  the  family  the  substantial 
every-day  meal,  so  without  any  artificiality  of  manner 
they  allowed  him  to  enjoy  and  participate  in  the  usual 
social  and  intellectual  life  of  the  family  and  thus  to  see 
the  home  as  it  was.  In  many  homes,  unfortunately,  this 
would  detract  from  the  visitor's  pleasure.  But  here  the 
invariable  rule  was  that  no  matter  what  were  the  vicissi- 
tudes through  which  the  family  might  be  passing,  there 
was  never  anything  unpleasant  mentioned  at  the  table. 
The  conversation  was  not  only  bright  and  cheerful,  but 
was  always  elevating  and  refining.  This  was  largely  due 
to  Professor  Harris  himself.  He  never  monopolized  the 
conversation ;  in  fact,  he  usually  appeared  to  be  taking  a 
minor  part,  but  without  any  apparent  purpose  of  giving 
direction  to  their  thought,  he  would  join  in  the  conver- 
sation with  his  children  and  always  say  something  to 
stimulate  their  thinking  and  give  them  larger,  clearer 
views.  .  .  .  His  keen  sense  of  humor,  his  genuine 
sympathy  with  others,  his  wide  range  of  knowledge,  his 
marvelous  tact  as  a  teacher,  his  transcendent  power  of 
illustration — all  these  he  brought  into  play  even  in  a  con- 
versation with  his  youngest  child,  when  he  was  manag- 
ing to  make  her  do  more  than  half  the  talking.  In  social 
conversation,  as  in  the  classroom,  he  was  not  a  great 
talker,  but  drew  others  out  by  judicious  questions  and 
stimulating  suggestions.  .  .  .  For  one  who  did  such 
an  enormous  amount  of  work.  Professor  Harris  found 
a  good  deal  of  time  to  spend  with  his  family  and  took 
the  keenest  pleasure  in  their  companionship.      He  was 


HENRY  HERBERT  HARRIS  307 

with  them  not  only  at  meal  time,  but  usually  for  a  little 
while  after  dinner,  and  almost  invariably  for  an  hour  or 
more  after  tea.  During  these  hours  of  relaxation  he 
would  throw  aside  all  work  and  worry  and  thoroughly 
enjoy  himself.  He  had  an  exuberance  and  delicacy  of 
humor  which  made  him  a  charming  companion,  and  the 
others  were  always  glad  when  he  could  lay  aside  his  work 
and  spend  a  while  with  them.  He  and  his  children  un- 
derstood each  other  perfectly  and  were  the  best  of 
friends.  He  was  very  fond  of  playing  games  in  the 
evenings,  and  there  was  a  private  understanding  between 
Mrs.  Harris  and  the  children  that  they  must  lay  aside 
e\'erything  else  and  play  with  him  whenever  he  would 
consent  to  leave  his  books  and  take  this  recreation.  He 
would  enter  into  the  game  with  great  enthusiasm  and  with 
the  same  analytic  power  of  mind  which  he  brought  to 
bear  on  ever}^thing  he  did,  and  so  the  children,  even  the 
grown  ones,  took  especial  credit  to  themselves  if  they 
chanced  to  win  a  game  from  him. 

"A  striking  characteristic  of  the  entire  family  was  their 
quick  appreciation  of  the  ludicrous  and  an  apparently  in- 
exhaustible fund  of  humor.  It  was  a  rare  treat  to  sit 
and  listen  to  the  conversations  that  would  be  carried  on 
around  the  table  during  these  games.  Another  notice- 
able thing  was  the  perfect  good  humor  with  which  these 
games  were  conducted.  There  was  never  the  slightest 
misunderstanding,  even  among  the  younger  children,  for 
nothing  was  further  from  their  thought  than  to  be  un- 
generous or  unfair.  The  game  being  finished,  a  waiter 
of  winesaps  would  be  brought  in,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
more  Professor  Harris  would  retire  to  his  study  for 
three  or  four  hours  of  hard  work." 

The  story  of  the  usefulness  and  activity  of  Professor 
Harris  is  not  finished  when  the  record  of  his  work  as 
teacher  and  professor  has  been  given.    As  a  church  mem- 


308         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

ber  and  as  a  leader  in  the  denomination  he  was  most 
helpful  and  influential.  His  opinion  and  example  at 
Grace  Street  Church  was  full  of  weight.  He  was  in  his 
pew  at  the  Sunday  services  and  also  on  Wednesday  night. 
He  often  led  the  prayer-meeting,  having,  Dr.  Hatcher 
declares,  unusual  gifts  for  those  devotional  services.  He 
led  not  alone  in  words  and,  besides  his  other  deeds,  was 
so  generous  and  large  a  giver  that  his  pastor  at  times 
was  ready  to  think  him  reckless  in  his  giving.  For  years 
he  was  a  leader,  first  among  Virginia  Baptists,  and  later 
among  Southern  Baptists  also.  In  the  General  Associa- 
tion he  was  a  most  active  member  of  the  committee  on 
cooperation,  a  committee  that  by  its  wise,  patient  work 
has  done  so  much  to  enlarge  the  beneficence  of  Virginia 
Baptists.  Of  course,  he  was  often  on  other  important 
committees  and  boards  for  State  denominational  work. 
In  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  he  was  for  years  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  order  of  business,  a  com- 
mittee that  largely  made  the  success  of  the  great  annual 
gathering.  Professor  Harris  was  a  member  of  three 
important  committees  appointed  by  the  Convention  for 
special  work.  The  first  of  these  committees  was  to  re- 
vise the  constitution  of  the  body.  The  second  was  to 
arrange  for  a  centennial  celebration  of  missions.  The 
third  was  for  cooperation  with  the  Northern  Baptists  in 
work  among  the  negroes.  Rev.  Dr.  T.  T.  Eaton,  also 
a  member  of  these  committees,  speaking  of  their  work, 
says :  "In  each  of  these  cases  the  hearty  acceptance  by 
the  denomination  of  the  results  reached  was  in  no  small 
measure  due  to  their  knowing  that  Dr.  Harris  had  aided 
in  shaping  those  results  and  that  he  heartily  approved 
them."  Professor  Harris  was  a  member  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  for  nineteen  years  and  its  president  for 
nine.  He  was  said  to  be  better  acquainted  with  the 
work  and  the  workers  of  our  missions  than  any  other 


HENRY  HERBERT  HARRIS  309 

man  not  a  secretary  of  the  Board.  Professor  Harris  did 
not  consider  himself  a  good  pubhc  speaker;  he  used  to 
tell  the  College  boys  that,  while  he  could  not  speak,  he 
could  tell  them  how  to  speak.  While  probably  he  was 
not  a  public  speaker  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  expres- 
sion, he  was,  nevertheless,  most  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive when  upon  the  platform  or  in  the  pulpit.  After  a 
year  as  pastor  after  his  ordination,  he  was  never  again 
pastor,  but  he  preached  now  and  then  and  took  his  place 
upon  ordination  and  similar  occasions.  He  was  most 
happy  in  the  use  of  illustrations,  though  he  sometimes 
chose  to  work  out  an  illustration  and  then  let  some  one 
else  use  it.  Once,  when  speaking  to  some  ministers,  he 
used  a  beautiful  illustration  and  then  said:  "Some  of 
you  fellows  take  this  and  use  it  if  you  can;  I  sometimes 
feel  that  all  I  am  fit  for  is  to  make  illustrations  for  others 
to  use."  Dr.  Carter  Helm  Jones,  who  tells  the  foregoing 
incident,  also  writes :  "In  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention a  great  question  was  once  coming  up  for  solution, 
a  much-mooted  question  that  threatened  to  cause  confu- 
sion and  trouble.  Professor  Harris  rose  just  at  the  right 
time  and  the  burden  of  his  speech  was  one  illustration. 
That  illustration  settled  the  question.  After  he  got 
through  many  of  the  brethren  came  to  him  and  said : 
'Well,  I  declare,  it  was  lucky  that  you  thought  of  that 
illustration.'  Afterwards,  in  speaking  of  it,  he  said: 
'They  did  not  know  that  I  was  working  on  that  illustra- 
tion for  three  months.'  "  Professor  Harris  did  great 
good  through  his  writings.  He  was  at  one  time  or  an- 
other the  editor  of  the  Journal  of  Education  of  Virginia, 
of  the  Foreign  Mission  Journal,  of  the  Religious  Herald, 
and  of  the  lessons  in  the  Baptist  Teacher,  and  the  Ad- 
vanced  Quarterly. 

Professor  Harris  never  posed  as  possessing  universal 
knowledge ;   indeed,  there  were  domains  of  learning  into 


310         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

which  he  declared  he  had  never  entered,  but  his  fund  of 
information  was  large  and  varied,  and  he  did  many 
things  well.  Professor  Gaines  says:  "He  had  a  fairly 
good  assortment  of  tools,  and  in  mending  a  lock  or  a 
lawn-mower,  or  in  constructing  articles  of  convenience 
about  the  house,  he  displayed  the  same  skill  and  in- 
genuity which  characterized  him  in  his  higher  activities. 
A  carpenter,  who,  by  the  way,  had  little  patience  with 
'book  learning,'  once  paid  a  compliment  to  his  mechani- 
cal skill  and  wide  acquaintance  with  practical  affairs  by 
saying  of  him :  'Professor  Harris  has  more  sense  than 
any  smart  man  I  ever  saw.'  "  Dr.  Carter  Helm  Jones 
tells  the  following  anecdotes  w^hich  illustrate  the  same 
point :  *Tt  was  on  a  missionary  tour  through  the  North- 
ern Neck  of  Virginia.  At  one  place  the  good  women 
were  getting  ready  to  serve  on  the  grounds  one  of  the 
tempting  dinners  they  knew  so  w^ell  how  to  prepare  and 
they  were  troubled  about  the  putting  up  of  a  stove. 
Finally,  before  I  knew  it,  H.  H.  Harris  had  taken  off  his 
coat,  looked  over  the  situation,  and  put  up  the  stove; 
and  when  some  one  asked  who  the  man  was,  the  reply 

was :     T  think  it  was  the  stove  man,  Mr.  ,  of 

Richmond.'  ...  A  farmer,  once  digging  a  ditch, 
after  talking  with  him  one  day,  said :  'Why,  that  old 
farmer  yonder  from  over  about  Richmond  has  taught 
me  more  about  farming  than  ever  I  knew  in  my  life.'  " 
Professor  Harris  did  his  life  work  at  Richmond  Col- 
lege. His  brief  years  at  Louisville,  as  Professor  of  Bibli- 
cal Introduction  and  Polemics  in  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary,  were  but  as  a  postscript,  a  beau- 
tiful and  important  postscript,  yet  only  a  postscript.  The 
severing  of  his  connection  with  Richmond  College  was 
probably  the  greatest  trial  of  his  life.  He  resigned,  not 
knowing  what  he  would  do  or  w^iere  he  w-ould  go.  His 
going  to  the  Seminary  was  opportune  for  the  Seminary. 


HENRY  HERBERT  HARRIS  311 

The  institution  had  suffered  a  great  loss  in  the  death  of 
Dr.  Broadus.  In  the  South  among  Baptists,  on  the  roll 
of  great  teachers,  next  to  the  name  of  John  A.  Broadus, 
came  that  of  H.  H.  Harris.  Professor  Harris  was  like 
Dr.  Broadus  in  his  mental  make-up  and  both  were  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia  men.  Professor  Harris  soon  had  his 
place  in  the  esteem  and  affection  of  the  Louisville  Fac- 
ulty and  students,  those  who  had  known  him  only  by 
reputation  coming  to  appreciate  him  more  when  they 
knew  him  at  closer  range.  One  of  the  faculty  wrote : 
"I  was  wholly  unprepared  for  the  simplicity  and  kindly 
good-fellowship  that  marked  his  intercourse  with  his 
friends  and  fellow-workers.  Every  trace  of  fear  was 
soon  thawed  out  by  the  warmth  of  his  genial  smile  and 
hearty  laugh,  and  awe  mellowed  into  reverence.  There 
remained  in  you  the  consciousness  of  the  presence  of  a 
great  man.  great  in  mental  ability  and  learning,  great  in 
common  sense,  great  in  goodness ;  but  you  were  sure  that 
he  was  a  man,  a  brother,  a  father,  a  friend."  In  refer- 
ence to  Professor  Harris'  going  to  Louisville,  Dr.  Ker- 
foot  said :  "He  was  not  elected  to  take  Dr.  Broadus' 
place,  but  he  was  elected  to  give  reassurance  after  the 
loss  of  Dr.  Broadus.  Many  friends  of  the  Seminaiy 
breathed  easier  when  they  knew  that  Dr.  Harris  had 
been  elected  as  a  member  of  the  faculty.  They  felt  that 
if  a  great  teacher  had  been  taken,  a  great  teacher  had 
been  gained."  Not  only  as  a  professor  did  Professor 
Harris  do  excellent  work.  The  Missionary  Society, 
which  holds  its  meeting  on  the  first  day  of  each  month, 
is  a  great  power  in  the  Louisville  Seminary.  As  presi- 
dent of  this  Society,  Professor  Harris,  with  his  deep 
love  for  missions,  with  the  experience  coming  from  his 
years  as  president  of  the  Foreign  Board,  with  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  work  gained  from  visits  to  various  fields, 
was  able  to  give  the  meetings  deep  spiritual  tone  and 
enthusiasm. 


312         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

When  Professor  Harris  found  that  his  health  was  fail- 
ing he  sought  rest  and  recuperation  on  his  native  soil. 
But  his  work  at  Louisville  was  closed.  His  end  came  in 
Lynchburg,  February  4,  1897.  The  funeral  took  place 
at  Grace  Street  Church  and  the  burial  in  Hollywood, 
Richmond's  beautiful  city  of  the  dead.  On  the  edge  of 
the  city  where  he  spent  the  larger  part  of  his  life  and 
almost  within  sound  of  the  College  bell,  overlooking  the 
falls  of  the  James,  he  sleeps  his  last  sleep.  Could  any 
spot  be  more  appropriate? 


AZARIAH  FRANCIS  SCOTT 

On  the  walls  of  the  Courthouse  of  Gloucester  County, 
Virginia,  hangs  the  portrait  of  the  Baptist  minister  whose 
name  stands  at  the  top  of  this  page.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  was  living  in  Gloucester  County,  and  being  too 
old  to  serve  in  the  army,  he  filled,  though  a  preacher, 
the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Several  years  before 
his  death  he  was  at  Gloucester  Court-House ;  on  this  oc- 
casion Judge  Fielding  Lewis  Taylor,  who  was  holding 
court,  invited  him  to  sit  with  him  on  the  bench.  A 
great  many  new  people  had  moved  into  the  county  since 
Mr.  Scott  had  been  pastor  in  that  section,  and  no  little 
curiosity  was  aroused  as  to  who  the  gray-headed  old 
gentleman  was  who  had  been  invited  to  such  a  seat  of 
honor.  In  due  time  the  Judge  introduced  Mr.  Scott  as 
his  old  teacher  who  had  often  used  on  him  the  rod. 

Between  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
in  Northampton  County,  Virginia,  September  14,  1822, 
Azariah  Francis  Scott  was  born.  Here  his  boyhood  and 
early  manhood  were  spent.  When  about  twenty  years 
old  he  made  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ  and  was 
baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Lower  Northampton 
Church  by  Rev.  George  Bradford.  His  college  prepara- 
tion for  life  was  secured  at  Richmond  College,  where 
he  spent  the  sessions  of  1843,  '44,  and  '45,  and  at  Colum- 
bian College,  where  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  in  1848.  The  vacations  of  these  college  years  had 
been  spent  in  earnest  work  as  a  colporteur  of  the  State 
IMission  Board.  He  taught  school  for  two  years  with 
marked  acceptance  in  Northampton  County  and  then, 
moving  to  King  and  Queen  County,  opened  an  academy 

313 


314         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

near  Centreville.  Later  he  had  an  academy  in  Gloucester 
County.  A  close  student,  he  was  never  satisfied  until 
he  had  mastered  a  subject,  and  in  these  early  days  he 
won  rank  as  a  teacher  and  scholar. 

Ebenezer  Church,  Gloucester  County,  called  him  to  be 
her  pastor,  and  he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry 
about  1851.  With  an  interval  of  two  years,  he  was  pas- 
tor of  Ebenezer  until  1867.  When  Mr.  Scott  first  went 
to  Gloucester,  the  Baptists  were  very  weak  in  the  middle 
and  lower  sections  of  the  county,  and  Ebenezer  was 
helped  for  a  season  by  the  State  Mission  Board.  In 
1852  Mr.  Scott  reported  at  the  "Virginia  Baptist  Anni- 
versaries" in  Norfolk,  that  after  one  year  more  the 
church  hoped  to  be  able  to  liquidate  the  debt  on  their 
new  meeting-house,  when  they  would  need  the  aid  of  the 
Board  no  more.  This  church,  in  1849,  reported  a  mem- 
bership of  1,013,  of  whom  922  were  colored  people.  In 
1852,  Mr.  Scott  reported  that  he  had  during  the  year  bap- 
tized 52  persons,  distributed  31  Bibles  and  Testaments, 
97  religious  books,  and  2,500  pages  of  tracts.  In  1869 
he  became  pastor  of  Ephesus  Church,  in  Essex  County, 
a  church  formed  by  a  colony  that  had  gone  out  from 
the  Glebe  Landing  Church,  in  Middlesex  County. 
Among  those  that  formed  this  colony  were :  George 
Phillips,  Robert  Payne  Waring,  Larkin  Hundley,  Orville 
Jeffries,  and  Dr.  A.  G.  D.  Roy.  In  connection  with  his 
work  at  Ephesus,  Mr.  Scott  was  Principal  of  the  Stev- 
ensville  Academy,  in  King  and  Queen  County.  His  pas- 
torate at  Ephesus  lasted  nineteen  years  and  then  came 
his  work  as  pastor  of  Colosse,  in  King  William,  and  of 
Glebe  Landing.  Here  he  ministered  some  eight  years. 
From  1851  to  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  an  active 
and  prominent  member  of  the  Rappahannock  Associa- 
tion, and  he  was  a  frequent  attendant  on  the  sessions 
of  the  General  Association,  being,  in  1896,  one  of  its 
\ice-presidents. 


AZARIAH  FRANCIS  SCOTT  315 

This  servant  of  God,  who  was  a  scholar  of  trained  in- 
tellect and  an  earnest  gospel  preacher,  passed  from  this 
hfe  at  2  a.  m.,  Thursday,  October  7,  1897.  There  had 
been  a  compact  between  Rev.  W.  E.  Wiatt  and  Mr. 
Scott  that  the  one  who  lived  the  longer  should  preach 
the  other's  funeral.  So  Mr.  Wiatt  rode  up  to  Ephesus 
Church  on  October  8,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  great 
crowd  preached  the  sermon,  J.  W.  Ryland,  A.  Fleet,  J. 
B.  Cook,  F.  B.  Beale,  and  John  T.  Hundley  assisting 
in  the  service.  Mr.  Scott  was  married  twice,  his  first 
wife  being  Miss  Margaret  Elizabeth  Holt,  of  Northamp- 
ton County.  Of  this  union  there  were  nine  children.  His 
second  wife  was  Miss  Julia  Waring,  of  Essex  County, 
who  bore  him  four  children. 


W.  T.  JOLLY 

This  "man  of  God"  gave  some  six  years,  the  last  of 
his  Hfe,  to  a  Virginia  pastorate,  and  his  ashes  rest  be- 
neath Virginia's  sod.  He  was  born  in  Campbell  County, 
Kentucky,  February  10,  1844.  He  made  profession  of 
his  faith  in  Christ  at  an  early  age  and  united  with  the 
Flag  Spring  Baptist  Church,  where  he  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  where,  still  later,  on  June  26,  1870,  he  was 
ordained.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  county  and  at  Georgetown  College,  where  he 
graduated  with  honor.  His  first  work  as  a  pastor  was 
for  his  old  "mother  church"  and  his  next  charge  was  at 
Rising  Sun,  Indiana,  where  he  labored  some  years,  de- 
veloping into  a  strong  preacher  and  an  effective  pastor. 
From  this  field  he  moved  to  Shelbyville,  Indiana,  to  take 
up  a  most  arduous  work.  In  the  midst  of  many  trials 
and  difficulties  he  inaugurated  tlie  movement  which  re- 
sulted in  the  present  commodious  and  beautiful  house  of 
worship.  He  left  Shelbyville  to  accept  a  call  to  Ashland, 
Kentucky.  Here  he  found  a  small  and  discouraged  band 
of  members,  but  he  accomplished  a  blessed  work,  put  a 
new  spirit  into  the  church,  and  erected  an  excellent  and 
much-needed  meeting-house.  His  last  home  was  in  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  where  he  became  pastor  of  the  Randolph 
Street  Baptist  Church,  September  1,  1892.  The  church 
had  not  been  organized  long,  was  small  in  numbers  and 
heavily  embarrassed  with  debt.  In  six  years  the  church 
was  on  a  solid  foundation  and  had  a  membership  of  four 
hundred.  His  death  came  very  suddenly.  He  was 
"sturdy  in  form,  with  ruddy  complexion,"  and,  being 
free  from  any  organic  trouble,  seemed  to  have  a  bright 
prospect  for  long  life.     On  June  14,  1897,  his  son,  just 

316 


W.  T.  JOLLY  317 

entering  his  twentieth  year,  was  taken  away  by  death. 
This  sorrow  cast  a  shadow  over  the  father's  face  which 
seemed  to  go  with  him  to  his  grave.  On  March  4,  1898, 
he  took  part  in  the  semi-centennial  service  of  the  Shelby- 
ville  Church,  where  he  had  been  pastor.  The  following 
Sunday  he  attended  his  Sunday  school,  but,  being  taken 
ill,  did  not  remain  for  the  church  service.  He  was 
stricken  with  paralysis  and  died  Monday,  March  14, 
1898.  The  funeral  was  conducted  by  the  Baptist  Minis- 
ters' Conference  of  Richmond,  the  services  being  at- 
tended by  a  vast  throng  that  filled  the  church  and  the 
adjacent  streets;  the  body  was  buried  in  River  View 
Cemetery.  Some  of  the  material  for  this  sketch  is  taken 
from  the  obituary  that  appeared  in  the  Minutes  of  the 
General  Association  for  1898. 


WILLIAM  FISHER 

William  Fisher  was  born  January  8,  1818,  at  Lewis- 
burg,  Union  County,  Pennsylvania.  His  father,  Thomas 
Fisher,  was  of  Irish  descent.  Thomas  Fisher,  with  Wil- 
liam Murray  as  his  partner,  carried  on  for  years,  at  Buf- 
falo Cross  Roads,  the  business  of  a  currier,  and  he  was 
a  birthright  member  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church, 
having  his  pew  in  the  old  Warrior  Run  Church.  His 
wife,  Rebecca,  the  daughter  of  John  Donaldson,  of 
Scotch  extraction,  was  born  in  White  Deer  Valley,  Union 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  young  woman  of  much 
beauty  and  gifted  mind.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  second  of  four  children.  Upon  the  death  of  his 
mother,  the  home  was  broken  up  and  the  children  were 
sent  to  various  kinspeople.  William  was  turned  over  to 
"Aunt  Polly"  Murdock,  his  father's  sister,  who  gave  him 
all  the  home  training  he  ever  had.  He  was  taught  the 
"Shorter  Catechism"  and  portions  of  the  Bible.  Yet,  boy 
as  he  was,  during  this  teaching,  he  asked  many  questions 
which  showed  that  he  was  doing  his  own  thinking.  His 
uncle  greatly  delighted  the  children  by  telling  them,  when 
the  whole  family  was  gathered  around  the  big  blazing 
fire  at  night,  of  encounters  with  the  Indians.  An  old  fort 
not  far  away  made  these  stories  all  the  more  real  to 
the  imagination  of  the  young  people.  William,  accom- 
panied by  his  sister,  went  through  mud  and  dust  and 
snow  to  a  school  two  miles  away,  sometimes,  on  the  way, 
using  his  fists  to  punish  remarks  from  his  companions 
that  offended  the  little  girl  by  his  side,  even  if  the  rough 
and  tumble  of  a  fight  did  bring  tears  to  her  eyes.  Soon 
he  passed,  at  the  district  school,  to  the  place  of  teacher, 
and  managed  to  give  quite  general  satisfaction  to  his  pa- 

318 


WILLIAM  FISHER  319 

trons,  even  if  many  of  them  were  his  kinspeople.  About 
this  time  he  attended  the  Milton  Academy,  taught  by 
James  Kirkpatrick,  having  as  his  fellow-student  James 
Pollock,  who  was  afterwards  Governor  of  Pennsylvania. 
While  at  this  school  he  attended  the  sunrise  prayer-meet- 
ings of  a  Baptist  protracted  meeting  and  received  his  first 
deep  religious  impressions.  When  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  was  apprenticed  to  Colonel  Henry  Frick  in  the  office 
of  The  Miltonian,  a  paper  published  at  Milton,  Northum- 
berland County,  Pennsylvania.  The  young  fellow  longed 
to  see  something  of  the  world,  so,  after  two  years,  he 
made  his  way  first  to  Harrisburg  and  then  to  Washing- 
ton, securing  at  this  latter  city  a  place  on  a  daily  paper. 
He  worked  as  compositor  by  day  and  as  news  editor  by 
night.  This  last  employment  brought  him  into  touch  with 
many  prominent  men.  He  was  converted,  it  seems,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  United  Brethren  near  Lebanon,  Pa.  He 
insisted  on  being  immersed.  Upon  a  visit  to  his  old  home 
he  told  of  his  new-found  faith,  preaching  wnth  great  ear- 
nestness in  schoolhouses  and  elsewhere.  His  departure 
from  the  Presbyterian  faith  was  much  commented  on 
and  he  was  regarded  by  some  as  a  lunatic.  As  there 
was  no  United  Brethren  church  in  the  neighborhood,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church 
and  was  first  licensed  and  then  ordained  to  preach.  But 
still  he  was  not  satisfied.  Finally,  he  became  a  Baptist, 
writing  to  the  Methodists  to  say  that  he  had  found  a 
home  with  the  Baptists  and  giving  his  reasons  for  his 
change.  Now,  notwithstanding  the  lure  of  the  West, 
which  was  in  those  days  so  strong,  he  felt  and  followed 
an  impulse  to  go  to  the  South.  The  rest  of  his  life  was 
spent  in  Virginia. 

Upon  coming  to  Virginia,  Mr.  Fisher  first  made  his 
home  on  the  Eastern  Shore.  In  this  region  he  labored 
for  a  long  series  of  years,  doing  some  of  his  best  work. 


320         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

The  churches  which  he  served  were :  Zion,  Bethel,  Mod- 
esttown,  Red  Bank,  Lower  Northampton,  Pungoteague, 
Chingoteague.  In  this  section  he  organized  churches, 
held  protracted  meetings,  and  did  much  pastoral  visiting. 
Bethel  and  Zion  were  first  out-stations  of  the  Modest- 
town  Church,  and  then  independent  churches.  The 
former  was  organized  in  1852  with  twenty-six  members, 
and  Zion  the  same  year  with  nine,  three  white  men,  three 
white  women,  and  three  colored  men,  he  being  the 
"father"  of  both  churches.  At  the  dedication  of  the 
Onancock  Church,  Mrs.  Waples,  an  invalid,  was  borne 
in  her  bed  to  the  church.  The  Minutes  of  the  General 
Association  for  1854  has  the  name  of  William  Fisher 
as  one  of  the  missionaries  of  the  State  Board,  his  field 
being  Accomac  County  and  his  salary  $100. 

From  the  seaboard  Mr.  Fisher  removed  to  the  western 
part  of  the  State,  which  is  now  known  as  West  Virginia. 
Here  he  was  pastor  of  Lewisburg  and  Anthony's  Creek, 
in  Greenbrier  County,  and  of  Union,  in  Monroe  County. 
During  the  War  he  was  chaplain  for  two  years  of  the 
Twenty-second  Virginia  Regiment. 

The  last  years  of  his  life  were  given  to  pastoral  work, 
first  in  Bedford  County  and  then  in  Appomattox  and 
Campbell  Counties.  In  Bedford  he  ministered  to  Hunt- 
ing Creek,  Hermon,  Suck  Spring,  Timber  Ridge,  and 
possibly  to  other  churches.  Concord  Depot,  on  the  edge 
of  Campbell  County,  near  the  Appomattox  line,  was  his 
home  for  a  number  of  years  and  the  place  of  his  death. 
He  was  for  some  seven  years  pastor  of  Liberty  and  He- 
bron Churches,  in  Appomattox  County,  and  later  of 
Reedy  Spring,  New  Chapel,  Red  Oak,  Rocks,  Midway, 
Hollywood,  and  Central.  Of  this  last  church  he  was  the 
founder  and  first  pastor. 

Mr.  Fisher  enjoyed  probably  throughout  his  whole  life 
wonderful  physical  vigor.     Certainly  up  to  a  very  short 


WILLIAM  FISHER  321 

time  before  his  death  his  natural  force  was  not  abated. 
To  see  him  with  his  snow-white  head  and  his  healthy, 
sun-burned  face,  and  to  hear  him  tell  in  his  animated 
way  of  his  long  trips  to  his  appointments  and  of  his 
churches  was  indeed  inspiring.  Extracts  from  a  letter 
that  he  wrote  to  the  Religions  Herald  when  he  was  in  his 
seventy-eighth  year  wull  show  the  energy  and  the  zeal  of 
this  venerable  man  of  God:  ''On  Saturday  before  the 
first  Sunday  in  August  I  left  my  home  to  attend  my  regu- 
lar church  meeting  at  Central.  On  Sunday  morning  I 
preached  to  a  large  congregation,  and  in  the  afternoon 
rode  six  miles  and  preached  at  Promised  Land  .  .  . 
at  4  o'clock  and  then  rode  to  my  home,  twelve  miles.  On 
Monday  I  went  by  train  to  Bedford  City  to  the  Straw- 
berry Association  at  Morgan's.  The  train  being  delayed, 
I  called  Brother  Royall  out  of  bed  at  two  o'clock  on 
Tuesday  morning.  ...  At  seven  in  the  morning  we 
all  met  at  the  appointed  place  to  be  conveyed  to  Mor- 
gan's. .  .  .  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  and  Thursday 
were  days  long  to  be  remembered.  On  Friday  I 
reached  my  home  to  start  on  Saturday  to  my  regu- 
lar church  meeting  at  Hollywood,  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant. On  Sunday  morning  I  preached  and  then  rode 
back  to  my  home  to  start  on  Monday  night  to  the  Acco- 
mac  Association,  300  miles  distant,  and  at  11  o'clock 
Tuesday  night  reached  Parksley.  .  .  .  The  next  morn- 
ing to  old  Chincoteague  Church,  at  which  I  had  preached 
fifty-one  years  ago.  .  .  .  Wednesday,  Thursday,  and 
Friday  at  the  old  Accomac.  .  .  .  On  Saturday  I  re- 
turned to  Parksley  to  preach  for  Brother  Sanford  at 
Zion,  the  church  which  I  organized  forty-three  years  ago. 
.  .  .  On  Monday  I  returned,  crossing  the  Bay  and 
taking  the  Norfolk  and  Western  train  at  10  o'clock  at 
night  and  reaching  Keysville,  on  the  Southern  road,  at 
daybreak,  and  then  off  six  miles  to  Friendship,  where 


322         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

the  Appomattox  Association  met.  Tuesday,  Wednesday, 
and  Thursday  at  the  Appomattox.  Thursday  night  at 
Keysville  to  assist  in  the  ordination  of  Brother  Stewart, 
and  on  Friday  morning  with  Dr.  Bagby  and  Brother 
CridHn  off  to  Burkeville  to  breakfast  at  the  far-famed 
Southside  Female  Institute.  Friday  night  finds  me  at 
home  to  start  on  Saturday  to  my  old  Reedy  Spring- 
Church." 

He  died  July  16,  1898,  at  Concord  Depot,  Virginia. 
The  funeral  took  place  the  next  day,  Sunday. 


CHARLES  H.  COREY 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1868.  there  came  to  Rich- 
mond, to  do  work  among  the  colored  people,  and  as  the 
representative  of  the  Home  Mission  Society  of  the 
Northern  Baptists,  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Corey.  This  was  in 
the  very  midst  of  the  difficult  '"Reconstruction"  period, 
but  Mr.  Corey  won  the  esteem  of  both  white  and  colored 
people.  His  residence  in  Richmond  stretched  out  to  some 
thirty  years,  and  among  other  tokens  of  the  high  regard 
in  which  he  was  held  by  Southern  people  may  be  men- 
tioned the  fact  that  he  received  the  degree  of  "D.  D." 
from  Richmond  College  and  Baylor  University. 

He  was  born  in  one  of  the  back  settlements  in  Canada 
and  did  not  know  what  a  newspaper  was  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  old.  He  was  born  December,  1834. 
Early  in  life  he  was  converted  and  became  a  Baptist. 
In  1854,  having  managed  to  get  the  necessary  prepara- 
tion, he  entered  Arcadia  College,  Nova  Scotia,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  E.  A.  Crawley  being  then  its  president,  and,  in  1858, 
graduated.  In  July,  1861,  a  few  days  after  his  gradua- 
tion at  Newton  Theological  Institution,  he  became  pas- 
tor of  the  First  Baptist  Church  at  Seabrook.  N.  H.  In 
1864  he  resigned  this  charge  to  accept  work  with  the 
United  States  Christian  Commission,  a  society  that  looked 
after  the  wounded  and  dying  on  the  field  of  battle  and  in 
the  hospitals.  At  the  close  of  the  War  he  began  work 
among  the  colored  people  under  the  direction  of  the 
Home  Mission  Society,  being  located  in  Charleston, 
S.  C.  He  left  Charleston  in  the  spring  of  1867  to  take 
up  work  as  the  President  of  the  Augusta  (Ga.)  Insti- 
tute.   Here  he  remained  until  he  came  to  Richmond.     He 

323 


324         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

had,  as  the  headquarters  of  his  school,  for  several  years 
after  coming  to  Richmond,  the  old  Lumpkin's  Jail,  situ- 
ated in  "The  Bottom,"  between  Franklin  and  Broad 
Streets,  on  the  west  side  of  Shockoe  Creek,  a  building 
that  had  formerly  been  used  as  slave  quarters.  Rev.  Dr. 
Robert  Ryland  taught  for  a  season  in  this  school.  On 
January  26,  1870,  the  old  United  States  Hotel,  a  spa- 
cious building  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Nineteenth 
Streets,  that  had  formerly  been  the  fashionable  hostelry 
of  Richmond,  was  purchased  for  the  school  at  whose  head 
Mr.  Corey  stood,  and  which  finally  came  to  be  known  as 
the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary.  So  earnest  were 
the  students  of  the  school  in  trying  to  raise  money  to 
help  pay  for  the  new  quarters,  that  the  list  of  subscrip- 
tions sent  in  was  six  yards  long.  During  Dr.  Corey's 
connection  with  this  school  more  than  1,200  young  col- 
ored men  passed  through  its  classes,  800  of  them  being 
students  for  the  ministry.  These  preachers  have  gone 
far  and  wide  carrying  the  "glad  tidings"  to  their  own 
people  and  baptizing  thousands  of  converts.  So  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  influence  for  good  of  him  who  wisely 
directed  this  "school  of  the  prophets"  was  great.  His 
earnest  toil,  discretion,  self-sacrifice,  and  uniform  gentle 
Christian  spirit  won  for  him  the  affection  of  the  colored 
and  white  people  of  Richmond  and  Virginia.  He  died 
September  5,  1898,  at  Seabrook,  N.  H. 


WILLIAM  FRANCIS  HARRIS 

William  Francis  Harris  was  born  in  Caroline  County 
on  February  16,  1853.  His  childhood  and  youth  were 
spent  in  New  Kent  County.  Mr.  Harris  was  a  student  at 
Richmond  College  for  some  sessions,  taking,  in  1876,  his 
B.  A.  degree,  and  two  years  later  his  "Master  of  Arts." 
In  these  college  days  he  looked  strong  and  stalwart  to 
an  unusual  degree,  yet' he  passed  through  two  serious  ill- 
nesses, one  his  first  session,  when  pneumonia  threw  his 
life  into  the  balance,  and  the  other  when,  in  1876-7,  he 
was  so  sick  that  he  lost  a  year  of  school. 

He  was  ordained  at  Covington,  Virginia,  where  he 
was  pastor  for  one  year.  Then,  taking  his  bride.  Miss 
Mollie  Payne,  of  Healing  Springs,  Virginia,  he  went  to 
Missouri,  where  sixteen  years  were  spent.  His  pastor- 
ates in  Missouri  were  Glasgow,  Huntsville,  Palmyra, 
Harrisonville.  and  Carthage.  In  Glasgow,  an  aristocratic 
old  town,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  practically  every 
one,  young  and  old,  in  the  community,  and  soon  had  the 
church  full  at  every  service.  He  reached  the  poor  people 
and  brought  many  of  them  to  be  members,  even  if  some 
people  took  ofifense  that  the  common  people  heard  him 
so  gladly.  In  a  pastorate  of  five  years  at  Huntsville,  he 
built  a  parsonage  and  did  such  excellent  work  in  every 
way  that  he  is  looked  back  to  as  perhaps  "the  most  suc- 
cessful pastor  the  church  has  ever  had."  While  pastor 
at  Huntsville  his  evangelistic  power  came  into  exercise 
and  a  great  meeting  which  he  held  at  Palmyra  led  to  his 
call,  some  time  afterward,  to  this  field.  Here,  as  in 
Huntsville,  he  inspired  his  people  to  build  a  parsonage, 
this  one  at  the  cost  of  some  $2,000.  While  at  Palmyra 
he  set  out  for  a  European  tour,  but  upon  his  arrival  in 
England  his  trip  was  cut  short  by  the  news  that  his  infant 
son  was  dead.     His  devotion  to  his  wife  would  not  allow 

325 


326         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

him  to  leave  her  alone  in  this  great  sorrow ;  he  at  once 
turned  his  face  homeward.  In  1893,  having  been  five 
years  at  Palmyra.  Mr.  Harris  became  pastor  at  Harri- 
sonville.  This  "thriving  town  in  the  richest  portion  of 
Missouri,"  the  junction  of  four  large  railway  systems, 
offered  a  fine  field  for  his  zeal  and  energy.  One  of  the 
members  here  afterwards  said :  "Harris  was  the  best 
pastor  I  ever  saw  for  seeing  after  everything  and  every- 
body." In  Huntsville  he  had  come  to  be  a  leader  in  State 
mission  work  and  a  member  of  the  State  Mission  Board. 
In  Harrisonville  his  activity  in  the  young  people's  work 
began.  The  B.  Y.  P.  U.  movement  was  then  in  its  in- 
fancy and  some  of  the  Harrisonville  saints  regarded  it 
as  a  heresy.  So,  in  1896,  he  became  pastor  in  Carthage. 
The  rest  of  his  life  was  spent  here.  A  wonderful  devel- 
opment in  zinc  mining  had  given  Carthage  such  a  great 
increase  in  population  that  the  town  and  all  the  region 
around  had  come  to  offer  a  fine  field  for  evangelistic 
effort.  "Harris  was  just  the  man  to  be  a  sort  of  general 
bishop  over  the  whole  work."  The  eyes  of  the  Baptists 
of  all  the  State  were  upon  him.  His  church  was  coming 
up  to  a  high  standard  of  excellence  and  his  influence  was 
growing  when  the  end  came. 

In  the  spring  of  1898  symptoms  of  a  fatal  disease  ap- 
peared, but  not  until  about  the  middle  of  September  did 
he  take  his  bed.  A  week  or  so  later  he  was  carried  to 
the  Baptist  Sanitarium  of  St.  Louis  with  the  hope  that 
an  operation  might  save  his  life.  Upon  being  told  that 
the  end  was  near,  he  begged  to  be  taken  back  to  Car- 
thage that  he  might  die  in  the  midst  of  his  own  people. 
This,  however,  was  impossible,  and  at  four  o'clock  Satur- 
day morning,  October  15,  1898,  his  spirit  went  to  God. 
His  body  was  buried  at  Emmaus  Church,  New  Kent 
County,  Virginia;  a  few  years  later,  however,  it  was 
removed  to  Hollywood  Cemetery,  Richmond.  His  wife 
and  one  daugfhter  survive  him. 


EDWARD  FARMER  DILLARD 

An  obituary  in  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Association 
for  1899  contains  the  facts  given  in  this  sketch.  Edward 
Fanner  Dillard  was  born  in  Fluvanna  County,  January 
12.  1865,  and  at  the  early  age  of  nine  made  a  profession 
of  religion  and  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
Mount  Prospect  Church.  His  youth  gave  evidence  of 
mental  vigor  and  strong  Christian  character.  He  felt 
called  to  preach  and  entered  Richmond  College,  where 
he  graduated,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  in  1892.  From 
Richmond  College  he  went  to  Rochester  Theological 
Seminary,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  graduated  in  1895. 
During  the  vacations  of  his  college  and  seminary  days  he 
helped  various  pastors  in  protracted  meetings,  in  which 
many  were  added  to  the  Lord.  His  ordination  took  place 
June  25,  1895,  at  Calvary  Baptist  Church,  Richmond. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  accepted  the  charge  of 
the  Louisa,  Berea,  Mount  Hermon,  and  Mine  Road 
Churches.  After  a  pastorate  of  two  years  he  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up  active  service,  as  consumption  had  laid 
hold  on  him.  After  an  illness  of  two  years,  he  passed 
away  November  13,  1898. 


327 


CHARLES  CARROLL  BITTING 

About  1672  some  Mennonites,  fleeing  from  Roman 
Catholic  persecution,  settled  in  Alsace,  above  Strassburg 
on  the  Rhine.  In  1708  they  fled  to  London,  and  from 
London  to  Pennsylvania.  British  statesmen  in  the  reign 
of  Queen  Anne  made  a  systematic  eft'ort  to  induce  these 
Germans  to  go  to  England  that  they  might  eventually 
settle  in  America,  and  in  1708  and  1709  more  than  30,000 
Germans  went  first  to  England  and  then  to  America, 
where  they  settled  in  New  York  and  the  Carolinas,  but 
chiefly  in  Pennsylvania.  There  was  a  strong  sympathy 
between  these  Mennonites  and  the  Quakers.  This  was 
but  the  beginning  of  a  great  stream  of  immigration  in 
which  the  Palatine  peasants  were  taken  down  the  Rhine 
to  Rotterdam  and  then  shipped  to  Philadelphia.  "The 
desire  to  escape  from  spiritual  and  temporal  despotisms 
and  the  chance  of  acquiring  rich  lands  in  a  salubrious 
climate  on  easy  terms  drew  thousands  of  immigrants," 
so  that  for  some  years  the  population  of  Pennsylvania 
grew  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand  a  year  and  then  more 
rapidly.  Among  these  Germans  were  two  brothers,  Lud- 
wig  and  Martin  Bitting.  They  came  from  the  High 
Baileywick  of  Germersheim,  on  the  Rhine,  and  a  part  of 
Alsace,  where  they  had  been  residents  and  perhaps 
founders  of  a  little  town  called  to  this  day  Bittingheim. 
They  were  burgomeisters,  and  arrived,  with  their  pass- 
ports, in  Pennsylvania  about  1708-9.  They  were  natur- 
alized in  Hanover  township,  Philadelphia  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  each  owned  about  100  acres  of  land. 
They  were  pious  people  of  devout  and  estimable  charac- 
ter, Protestants,  who  for  the  sake  of  having  liberty  of 
conscience  had  forsaken  all  they  had  to  escape  Roman 

328 


CHARLES  CARROLL  BITTING  329 

Catholic  oppression  in  Europe.  Of  this  stock  came 
Charles  Carroll  Bitting,  whose  great-grandfather  was  the 
Ludwig  Bitting  mentioned  above.  He  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia in  March,  1830,  his  mother  being  Miss  Sarah 
Bucknell,  an  English  lady,  and  a  sister  of  William  Buck- 
nell  for  whom  Bucknell  University  is  named. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  Mr.  Bitting  graduated  at  the 
Philadelphia  Central  High  School,  having  three  years  be- 
fore this  been  baptized  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Burrows  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  Broad  Street  Baptist  Church.  After 
having  studied  at  Lewisburg  (now  Bucknell)  and  Madi- 
son (now  Colgate)  Universities,  he  taught  in  the  Ten- 
nessee Baptist  Female  College  when  it  was  located  in 
Nashville  and  after  its  removal  to  Murfreesborough. 
While  in  this  last  town  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
and  from  here  went  to  Hanover  County,  Virginia,  to  be- 
come pastor  of  the  Mount  Olivet  Baptist  Church,  the  next 
year,  1856,  also  becoming  pastor  of  the  Hopeful  Baptist 
Church  in  Louisa  County.  In  1859  he  became  pastor  of 
the  Baptist  church  in  Alexandria.  Here  were  spent  the 
trying  years  of  the  Civil  War.  Many  thrilling  experi- 
ences came  to  Mr.  Bitting  in  this  period.  Some  of  these 
experiences  are  described,  as  follows,  by  C.  C.  Bitting's 
son,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  C.  Bitting,  now  pastor  of  the  Second 
Baptist  Church,  St.  Louis,  Mo. : 

"His  ministry  there  was  very  prosperous.  A  large 
number  of  persons  were  added  to  the  church.  The  church 
was  in  the  midst  of  a  revival  when  Lincoln's  Proclama- 
tion was  issued.  Of  his  experiences  during  the  War  a 
volume  might  be  written.  He  was  one  of  a  number  of 
citizens  of  that  city  who  declined  to  take  the  iron-clad 
oath  after  the  city  was  invested  by  the  Federal  troops. 
The  Baptist  Church  building  was  taken  from  the  church 
and  used  for  a  negro  garrison.  I  personally  remember 
the  Sunday  morning  when  a  squad  of  soldiers  marched 


330         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

down  the  aisle  of  the  church  while  my  father  was  preach- 
ing and  the  commanding  officer  ordered  him  to  stop 
preaching.  He  was  put  under  arrest  that  morning.  The 
deacons  of  the  church  were  assembled  in  a  corner  of  the 
room.  The  commanding  officer  of  the  squad  made  an 
address  to  them  which  he  ended  by  deposing  my  father 
from  the  ministry !  This  arrest  did  not  amount  to  much, 
but  he  w-as  allowed  to  go  free.  A  room  above  an  old  the- 
ater building  on  Liberty  Street  in  Alexandria  was  rented 
and  the  work  still  went  on.  My  father  and  a  Catholic 
priest  were  the  only  original  pastors  left  in  Alexandria 
during  the  War  to  minister  to  the  people.  A  very  warm 
friendship  between  Father  Kroes  and  my  father  sprang 
up  on  account  of  these  facts,  and  they  about  divided  the 
religious  work  in  the  city  between  them.  All  who  could 
get  away  from  Alexandria  left  and  the  ministrations  of 
both  these  ministers  were  mainly  to  the  poor  and  humble. 
During  these  terrible  times  he  spent  the  mornings  in  con- 
ducting a  school,  to  which  the  citizens  sent  their  children. 
He  did  not  think  they  should  grow  up  without  instruc- 
tion. In  this  he  was  ably  assisted  by  Miss  Fannie  Gwin, 
the  brilliant  and  accomplished  sister  of  the  Rev.  D.  W. 
Gwin. 

"His  afternoons  w^ere  spent  in  visiting  the  sick  and 
needy,  and  in  going  to  the  hospitals  to  visit  the  wounded 
and  sick  soldiers  of  both  armies.  His  services  were  alike 
rendered  without  any  discrimination  to  any  human  being 
to  whom  he  could  in  any  way  minister.  Most  often  he 
would  take  with  him  to  the  bedside  of  the  poor  fellows 
some  delicacy  which  the  more  than  busy  hands  of  my 
mother  had  prepared  out  of  the  grinding  poverty  of  our 
life  at  that  time.  Many  hundreds  in  this  way  felt  the 
touch  of  his  sympathetic  heart  and  the  comforts  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  had  a  little  taste  of  the  deli- 
cacies of  home  life  prepared  by  my  mother. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  BITTING  331 

*T  well  remember  a  second  arrest  on  a  bright  Sunday 
morning  when  he  was  walking  home  from  service  in  the 
Liberty  Street  Theater.  My  mother  was  convalescing 
from  the  experiences  of  maternity  and  expected  that  day 
to  be  present  at  the  dinner  table  as  a  pleasant  surprise  to 
my  father.  He  was  walking  on  the  street,  and  Mrs. 
Bayne  had  hold  of  his  right  arm.  I  was  immediately  be- 
hind them.  I  noticed  a  squad  of  Union  soldiers  drawn 
up  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  The  officer  in 
charge  walked  across  the  street  and  told  my  father  that 
he  was  under  arrest.  He  was  taken  to  a  dwelling,  used 
as  a  prison,  where  he  found  fifteen  or  twenty  other  citi- 
zens arrested  likewise.  The  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
military  authorities  was  to  force  every  citizen  to  take 
the  Oath  of  Allegiance  to  the  United  States  Government. 
For  two  months  he  was  kept  in  this  prison.  The  pris- 
oners were  divided  into  two  parties  and  every  other  day 
were  given  a  ride  on  the  railroad  in  the  direction  of 
Orange  Court-House,  Virginia,  with  the  hope  that  the 
presence  of  these  well-known  sympathizers  with  the 
Southern  cause  would  prevent  the  destruction  of  the  train 
by  Mosby's  men.  In  the  last  two  or  three  trips  my  father 
was  compelled  all  day  long  to  ride  upon  the  cow-catcher 
of  the  locomotive. 

"The  arrest  of  my  father  was  the  cause  of  a  severe 
relapse  in  the  illness  of  my  mother,  and  she  hovered  be- 
tween life  and  death  for  many  days.  When  the  illness 
seemed  certain  to  end  in  death,  as  the  oldest  child,  I  was 
dressed  in  the  best  rags  I  had  and  taken  to  the  office  of 
the  Provost-Marshal,  and  as  a  child  on  my  knees  I  begged 
him  to  allow  my  father  to  come  home  to  be  present  at 
the  death  of  my  mother.  He  granted  permission  for  him 
to  visit  my  mother  for  two  hours.  A  Union  soldier  was 
placed  at  the  bedroom  door.  Promptly  at  the  end  of 
those  two  hours,  w^ithout  knocking,  he  entered  the  room 


332         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

and  took  my  father  from  his  knees  beside  my  mother 
back  to  the  prison.  Of  course,  the  tenderness  and  pain- 
fuhiess  of  the  experience  can  better  be  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. Thanks  to  tlie  kindness  of  our  heavenly  Father 
my  mother's  Hfe  was  spared. 

"It  was  my  duty  as  a  Httle  boy  every  other  day  to  take 
to  my  father  in  the  prison  his  evening  meal.  My  im- 
pressions of  these  journeys  are  very  vivid,  and  I  can  still 
almost  feel  in  my  hand  the  wire  handle  of  the  tin  bucket 
in  which  I  carried  to  him  the  scanty  food  which  the  kind- 
ness of  devoted  friends  could  gather  out  of  their  poverty. 
One  evening  I  was  startled  on  my  way  down  to  meet  him 
alone  on  the  street.  And  it  was  some  time  before  my 
childish  mind  could  realize  that  my  father  was  free.  He 
had  not  taken  the  oath.  I  keenly  remember  the  joy  of 
my  parents  as  they  met  that  afternoon.  My  mother  was 
still  in  bed,  but  was  convalescing.  Early  the  next  morn- 
ing my  father  started  out  with  me  to  market.  I  had  a 
small  wheelbarrow,  which  I  insisted  upon  taking  to  bring 
home  what  could  be  bought.  With  the  joy  of  a  boy, 
about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  went  out  the  front 
door  of  our  home.  I  saw  hanging  to  the  door  knob  a  big 
black  rag.  I  called  my  father's  attention  to  it.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  whiteness  of  his  face  and  the  indigna- 
tion with  which  he  tore  this  crape  from  the  door  knob, 
took  it  to  the  middle  of  the  street,  put  it  in  a  small  puddle 
of  water  which  remained  from  a  shower  the  night  before 
and  trampled  on  it.  Evidently  the  crape  had  been  tied 
to  the  door  knob  by  some  miscreant  early  in  the  evening. 
The  whole  town  knew  of  the  serious  illness  of  my  mother. 
Her  obituary  had  been  prepared.  When  the  crape  was 
seen  upon  the  door,  my  mother's  obituary  was  promptly 
printed  in  the  Alexandria  Gazette.  It  was  about  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  day  before  the  many  sympathizing  people 
allowed  my  father  to  return  to  his  home. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  BITTING  333 

"He  was  sometimes  in  receipt  of  notes  asking  him  to 
call  upon  persons  who  were  ill.  These  came  about  dark. 
He  promptly  answered  these  calls,  only  to  find  that  the 
notes  were  forgeries  and  the  persons  named  in  the  notes 
were  perfectly  well.  On  several  occasions,  while  passing 
alleys  and  dark  places,  he  was  shot  at. 

"One  morning  about  eight  o'clock  he  received  notice 
to  be  at  a  certain  dock  to  take  a  steamboat.  One  hun- 
dred pounds  of  baggage  were  allowed  for  the  whole  fam- 
ily, consisting  of  the  parents,  three  little  boys  and  a  baby 
sister.  Arriving  at  the  steamer,  he  was  carefully  searched 
for  papers,  and  even  the  lunch  was  examined  for  the 
same.  Sandwiches  and  boiled  eggs  were  broken  open. 
It  was  the  purpose  of  the  authorities  to  deport  the  fam- 
ily. At  four  o'clock  a  message  came  countermanding 
the  order  for  deportation,  and  we  were  told  to  return 
to  the  home.  Absolutely  everything  in  the  home  had 
been  taken  away.  Every  piece  of  furniture,  every  book 
and  every  chip,  and  the  house  was  as  naked  as  if  it  had 
never  been  occupied.  It  was  then  realized  that  the  ruse 
of  the  deportation  was  simply  a  device  for  confiscation. 

"All  these  things  w-ent  on  for  several  years,  during 
which  time  my  father  carefully  abstained  from  any  public 
allusion  to  the  War  and  devoted  himself  entirely  to  min- 
isterial services  of  the  purest  and  most  spiritual  sort. 

"I  well  remember  an  incident  which  will  illustrate  the 
extreme  poverty  in  which  we  lived.  Our  breakfast  one 
morning  consisted  of  a  tumbler  half  full  of  black  mo- 
lasses and  the  crusts  of  bread  left  over  from  the  day 
before.  The  three  little  boys  greedily  devoured  this  re- 
past. The  parents  looked  on  and  helped  the  children 
to  make  the  best  of  the  feast.  After  breakfast  we  had 
our  family  worship,  and  my  father,  as  we  knelt,  put  one 
arm  around  me,  and  my  mother  took  in  her  arms  my  two 
younger  brothers,  and  in  just  such  words  as  I  would  have 


334         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

used  to  my  father  he  told  the  heavenly  Father  about 
the  family  situation  and  the  need  for  food.  About  eleven 
o'clock  that  morning  a  couple  came  in  to  be  mari-ied  and 
gave  the  minister  a  five-dollar  gold  piece.  This  was  al- 
ways regarded  as  a  direct  answer  to  prayer. 

"About  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  one  day  a  horse 
stopped  under  my  father's  bedroom  window.  Of  course, 
with  such  experiences  as  he  was  having  he  slept  lightly. 
He  arose,  looked  out  of  the  window,  heard  his  name 
called,  and  was  told  to  come  down  to  the  front  door  imme- 
diately. He  hastily  dressed  and  went  down.  Upon  open- 
ing the  door  there  came  in  a  man  with  a  heavy  United 
States  Army  overcoat  and  with  his  features  covered  by 
a  mufiler.  In  the  dim  light  of  the  hall  the  two  men  met. 
The  visitor  asked  my  father  if  he  were  a  Mason.  The 
two  men  proved  to  each  other's  satisfaction  that  they 
were  Masons.  He  then  threw  aside  his  overcoat  and 
disclosed  the  uniform  of  a  general  in  the  United  States 
Army  and  said  to  my  father :  'You  may  go  back  and 
go  to  bed.  You  have  never  officiated  at  a  service  of 
public  worship,  or  at  a  funeral,  or  in  any  other  public 
capacity  since  the  War  began  when  we  have  not  had  a 
spy  present.  We  have  been  waiting  for  just  one  public 
expression  in  prayer  or  speech  which  betrayed  your  in- 
terest in  the  success  of  the  Southern  Army.  If  you  had 
uttered  this,  you  would  have  been  imprisoned  in  the  old 
capitol  in  Washington,  where  a  cell  had  been  waiting 
for  you  all  this  time.  If  you  continue  to  be  as  discreet 
as  you  have  been,  and  if  this  War  shall  last  twenty  years 
and  I  should  retain  the  position  I  now  have,  you  will 
never  be  annoyed  again."  The  General  had  come  all  the 
way  from  Washington  on  horseback,  after  hearing  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  day  before  that  my  father 
was  a  Mason.  My  father  asked  him  his  name,  which 
was  refused.     He  asked  to  see  his  face.     This  request 


CHARLES  CARROLL  BITTING  335 

was  also  declined.  He  asked  for  some  clew  by  which  he 
could  identify  the  man.  This  likewise  was  refused.  Out 
into  the  night  the  benefactor  went.  From  that  day  to 
this  we  have  never  been  able  to  learn  anything  whatever 
which  would  help  us  to  discover  the  kind-hearted  man. 
All  annoyance  ceased,  and  during  the  rest  of  the  War 
my  father  was  allowed  to  pursue  his  calling  without 
annoyance." 

Mrs.  Eliza  S.  Childs,  for  many  years  Lady  Principal 
at  Hollins  Institute,  who  was  a  member  of  Dr.  Bitting's 
church  in  Alexandria,  wrote  out  reminiscences  of  this 
period  of  Dr.  Bitting's  life.  She  gives  the  name  of  the 
steamer  on  which  her  pastor  and  a  number  of  other  citi- 
zens were  placed,  as  they  thought,  to  be  carried  from  their 
homes,  as  the  "Sylvan  Shore"  ;  this  is  probably  the  occa- 
sion to  which  allusion  is  made  above.  She  also  tells  of 
how  one  couple,  since  Dr.  Bitting  was  not  allowed  to 
perform  the  marriage  ceremony,  was  sent  by  him  to  Dr. 
Richard  Fuller  in  Baltimore.  When  he  was  handed  a 
$50  note  as  the  "fee,"  he  sent  it  back  to  Dr.  Bitting,  say- 
ing it  rightly  belonged  to  him. 

In  1866,  Mr.  Bitting  became  Secretary  of  the  Sunday 
School  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  lo- 
cated at  Greenville,  S.  C.  When  the  Board  was  moved 
to  Memphis  he  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in 
Lynchburg.  The  church  was  weak  and  without  great 
influence  in  the  community.  Mr.  Bitting  took  hold  of 
the  work  with  his  usual  zeal.  The  congregation  was  ir- 
regular and  slow  in  coming  to  the  services.  The  new 
pastor  announced  that  he  intended  to  begin  promptly  at 
the  hour  agreed  upon.  One  night  when  the  time  came 
for  the  prayer-meeting  no  one  was  present  save  the  pas- 
tor and  his  wife.  She  ventured  to  suggest  at  eight  o'clock 
that  no  one  was  present  save  themselves.  His  answer 
was:     "It  is  time  to  begin."     They  two  sang  a  hymn. 


336         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Then  he  led  in  prayer.  While  they  were  singing  a  second 
hymn  a  few  persons  came  in  and  were  surprised  to  find 
the  meeting  in  progress  with  no  one  present  save  the 
pastor  and  his  wife.  A  few  more  lessons  like  this 
brought  the  people  to  greater  promptness.  Interest  began 
to  revive  and  the  congregations  to  grow.  Baptisms  oc- 
curred. Upon  entering  the  baptistery  Mr.  Bitting  would 
read  passages  from  the  New  Testament  bearing  on  bap- 
tism, without  any  comment.  Upon  concluding  this  read- 
ing he  would  say :  "This  is  God's  word,  not  mine."  Per- 
sons in  other  denominations  began  to  study  the  question 
of  baptism.  When  they  called  to  see  him  he  would  give 
the  inquirer  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  with  the  pas- 
sages on  baptism  marked.  A  number  of  these  persons 
united  with  the  Baptist  Church.  Interest  increased,  the 
church  was  greatly  stirred,  and  the  pastor  began  to  hold 
services  from  night  to  night.  Rev.  A.  B.  Earle,  an  able 
evangelist,  preached  for  a  few  nights.  All  classes  at- 
tended. Meetings  began  in  other  churches.  Rev.  Dr. 
Burrows  helped  for  a  week.  The  meeting-house  could 
not  hold  the  crowds.  For  three  months  the  services  went 
on.  The  pastor  would  decide  to  close  the  services,  but 
deepening  interest  would  make  this  impossible.  With 
eloquence  and  power  the  pastor  preached  on  from  night 
to  night.  Some  days  he  was  so  busy  looking  after  in- 
quirers and  doing  pastoral  work  that  on  his  way  to  the 
church  he  would  say  to  his  wife:  "What  shall  I  talk 
about  this  evening?  I  have  not  had  time  to  think  of  a 
single  thing  to-day."  For  weeks,  before  breakfast  was 
over,  his  doorbell  would  ring  and  there  would  be  in- 
quirers to  talk  with  him  and  others  asking  him  to  go  and 
see  their  friends.  The  work  went  on,  the  meetings  being 
calm  and  quiet,  earnest  instruction  being  given.  Addi- 
tions were  constant,  and  one  Sabbath  morning  162  per- 
sons were  received  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church.    Mr 


CHARLES  CARROLL  BITTING  337 

Bitting  always  regarded  Lynchburg  as  his  most  success- 
ful pastorate  and  looked  back  to  this  wonderful  meeting 
with  great  joy  and  inspiration. 

In  1871  Dr.  Bitting  became  Secretary  of  the  American 
Baptist  Publication  Society  for  the  Southern  States,  with 
his  headquarters  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  but  after  hold- 
ing this  position  for  a  short  time,  he  accepted  a  call  to 
the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  that  city.  During  his  pas- 
torate in  Richmond  he  was  Statistical  Secretary  of  the 
Virginia  Baptist  General  Association  and  Chairman  of 
the  Memorial  Committee.  This  committee  had  as  its  ob- 
ject the  raising  of  $300,000  for  the  endowment  of  Rich- 
mond College.  This  committee,  consisting  of  C.  C.  Bit- 
ting, A.  E.  Dickinson,  W.  E.  Hatcher,  J.  C.  Long,  G.  B. 
Taylor,  C.  H.  Ryland,  W.  D.  Thomas,  and  Thomas 
Hume,  Jr.,  was  appointed  in  Staunton,  did  their  work 
well,  and,  notwithstanding  the  financial  panic,  secured  a 
large  part  of  the  proposed  sum.  Dr.  Bitting's  leadership 
had  no  little  to  do  with  the  success  of  this  movement. 
While  pastor  in  Richmond,  Dr.  Bitting,  thanks  to  the 
liberality  of  his  uncle,  Mr.  William  Bucknell,  was  able 
to  take  a  trip  to  Europe  and  Palestine.  Three  of  his  fel- 
low-travelers, Miss  Lucie  Jones,  Miss  Bucknell,  and  Mr. 
W^illiam  Lawson,  were  baptized  by  him  in  the  River  Jor- 
dan at  the  traditional  place  of  our  Saviour's  baptism. 
From  Richmond,  Dr.  Bitting  went  to  Baltimore  to  be- 
come pastor  of  the  Franklin  Square  Baptist  Church. 
He  began  his  work  here  in  September,  1876,  and  re- 
mained on  this  field  for  some  seven  years. 

Dr.  Bitting  was  an  ardent  and  painstaking  student  of 
Baptist  history.  While  in  Richmond  he  had  written  a 
pamphlet  on  the  "Baptists  and  Religious  Liberty"  that 
had  had  wide  circulation.  While  in  Baltimore  he  made 
a  careful  investigation  of  Bible  translation  and  the  atti- 
tude of  various  agencies  for  this  work  to  the  general 


338         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

question.  As  a  result  of  this  investigation,  he  pubHshed 
a  pamphlet,  entitled  "Bible  Societies  and  the  Baptists." 
The  denomination,  after  having  done  their  Bible  work 
for  years  first  through  the  American  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society  and  then  through  this  organization  and  the  Amer- 
ican Bible  Union,  finally  held  at  Saratoga,  in  1883,  a 
great  conference  on  Bible  translation  and  publication. 
One  result  of  this  meeting  was  the  committing  of  all  this 
work  to  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society.  This 
Society  elected  Dr.  Bitting  as  its  Bible  secretary,  and  in 
this  relationship  he  worked  until  a  year  before  his  death. 
Dr.  Bitting  was  a  man  of  active  mind,  genial  heart 
and  warm  sympathies.  He  gloried  in  the  fellowship  of 
his  brethren  in  the  ministry  and  delighted  in  the  inter- 
course of  the  social  circle.  There  was  sunshine  in  his 
face  and  smile,  and  he  carried  with  him  an  atmosphere 
of  enthusiasm.  He  was  cordial  and  open  in  his  man- 
ner, believing  in  expression  rather  than  repression  of 
one's  affection.  Many  a  young  man  was  helped  by  his 
hearty  sympathy.  As  has  already  appeared,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order;  in  this  society  he  rose  to 
high  rank.  In  his  home  splendid  enthusiasm  and  high 
ideals  obtained.  Of  his  seven  children,  six  grew  up  to 
manhood  and  womanhood,  and  each  of  these  six  received 
at  the  hands  of  their  parents  the  best  opportunities  for 
college  and  professional  education.  "His  preaching  was 
after  the  manner  of  his  time.  He  was  oratorical  in  style, 
and  yet  calm  and  deliberate  unless  his  whole  soul  was 
aflame  by  the  message  which  he  had.  He  often  rose  to 
great  heights  of  power."  A  lady  and  gentleman  who 
heard  him  preach  in  Murfreesborough  when  his  minis- 
try was  just  commencing,  sixty-five  years  afterwards 
were  able  to  remember  particular  sermons  that  had  made 
a  deep  impression  on  them  as  children.  Dr.  Bitting  died 
at  8:55  a.  m.,  December  24,  1898. 


WILLIAM  AYLETT  WHITESCARVER 

"They  tell  us  of  Saint  Paul  and  Saint  John.  /  know 
Saint  Williani/'  Dr.  John  A.  Broadus  was  speaking  of 
his  University  roommate  and  brother-in-law,  William 
Whitescarver.  There  are  degrees  of  goodness.  Despite 
the  "Acta  Sanctorum,"  true  saints  are  rare  and  should 
have  special  distinction  in  our  annals. 

William  Aylett  Whitescarver  was  born  in  what  was 
then  Culpeper  County,  Virginia,  but  is  now  a  part  of 
Rappahannock  County,  September  26,  1816.  He  was 
the  seventh  child  and  sixth  son.  Their  father  was  Fred- 
erick Whitescarver.  He  and  two  brothers,  Cornelius  and 
Robert,  were  sons  of  a  German  who  bought  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  Culpeper  and  established  himself  and  his 
sons  in  comfortable  farms.  The  mother  was  a  Brown- 
ing, daughter  of  a  worthy  captain  in  the  Revolutionary 
Army,  and  granddaughter  of  General  Strother  of  the 
same  line.  President  Zachary  Taylor  was  her  first 
cousin.  Frederick's  brothers,  Robert  and  Cornelius,  re- 
moved to  Kentucky  in  1820. 

William  Whitescarver's  preparatory  education  was 
gained  in  country  schools,  amongst  them  a  high  school 
conducted  by  Thomas  Holtzman  at  Mount  Salem.  He 
was  a  teacher  in  his  own  neighborhood  for  one  year. 
Early  in  life  he  was  baptized  on  profession  of  his  faith 
by  Dr.  William  F.  Broaddus  at  Mount  Salem  Church. 
We  find  him  a  student  at  Rector  College,  West  Virginia, 
from  which  he  passed  to  the  University  of  Virginia. 
where,  though  he  did  not  remain  long  enough  for  a  de- 
gree course,  he  did  good  work,  appropriating  its  scholarly 
methods  and -its  best  inspirations.     Here  he  had  the  privi- 

339 


340         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

lege  of  close  association  with  John  A.  Broadiis  and  his 
sympathy  in  studies  and  in  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
which  both  of  them  had  just  entered.  A  brief  experience 
of  teaching  in  Clarke  County  was  followed  by  pastoral 
service  at  Mountain  Plain  Church,  Albemarle  County. 
Meanwhile  he  had  the  good  fortune  of  marrying  Cath- 
erine Broadus,  eldest  sister  of  his  friend.  This  happy 
union  was  broken  by  the  early  death  of  the  wife  and  their 
only  child. 

In  1852  he  was  called  to  the  Fork  Church  of  Fluvanna 
County,  whose  foundations  had  been  laid  as  far  back  as 
1774,  and  in  that  garden  of  the  Lord  filled  seventeen 
years  with  fruitful  service.  His  marriage  with  Miss 
Sally  A.  Perkins,  daughter  of  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous and  highly  respected  citizens,  increased  his  pastoral 
usefulness.  A  deep  spiritual  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures 
and  thoughtful  reading,  especially  of  devotional  litera- 
ture, qualified  her  for  intelligent  sympathy  with  the  man 
and  the  preacher,  and  for  several  years  she  was  an  active 
inspiration  and  ally.  His  quiet  dignity  was  fortified  by 
studious  method.  He  suggested  a  pastor's  class  for  Bible 
study  to  be  held  during  the  week  and  old  and  young  en- 
tering it  heartily  received  the  permanent  stamp  of  his 
own  character  and  work.  He  kept  the  balance  between 
visitation  of  the  flock  and  preparation  for  the  pulpit.  An 
accomplished  gentleman,  now  one  of  the  veterans  of  the 
church,  says :  "He  was  of  inestimable  service  to  me  in 
my  Latin  and  in  his  religious  instructions,  and  I  recall 
him  during  the  four  years  he  was  an  inmate  of  my 
father's  family  with  his  fine  courtesy  and  gentle  firm- 
ness." You  did  not  hear  of  his  eloquence.  There  was 
never  a  hint  of  sensation,  but  continual  suggestion  of  the 
convincing  power  of  truth,  supplemented  by  the  right- 
eous life  of  the  pastor.  He  had  his  earnest  convictions 
and  knew  how  to  affirm  them  from  the  pulpit,  but  his 


WILLIAM  AYLETT  WHITESCARVER     341 

walk  with  God,  his  reasoning  from  the  inspired  page,  his 
assertion  of  the  Spirit's  call  and  of  the  unquestioning  re- 
sponse which  duty  required  led  many  souls  to  Christ, 
and  the  intelligent  community  clustered  about  Fork 
Union,  representing  many  religious  denominations, 
united  in  acknowledging  that  both  sweetness  and  light 
radiated  from  him  with  compelling  power.  Rev.  Dr. 
George  White,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  wrought  with 
him  in  revival  sevices  in  close  fellowship.  According  to 
the  report  of  a  very  interesting  lady.  Rev.  Richard  Mason, 
the  lovely  Episcopal  rector.  Bishop  John's  son-in-law, 
made  vigorous  protest  against  his  resignation  of  the  sev- 
enteen-year-long pastorate  and  declared  that  his  going 
meant  the  loss  of  an  incalculable  spiritual  force.  Mr. 
John  Randolph  Bryan,  a  distinguished  vestryman,  de- 
scribed him  as  "a  Christian  and  a  man  you  could  pin  your 
faith  to."  The  hospitable  Baptists  gave  the  Episcopalians 
the  privilege  of  holding  regular  service  in  their  comfort- 
able house  of  worship  and  both  their  congregations  sat 
alternately  under  pastor  and  rector.  Without  abatement 
of  conviction  or  of  faithfulness  to  truth,  they  cultivated 
Christian  unity  of  spirit.  Mr.  Whitescarver's  church 
grew  and  prospered.  His  own  home  was  blessed  by  the 
coming  of  two  children  before  the  shadow  of  a  long  in- 
validism settled  upon  his  wife. 

The  services  and  work  of  the  Fork  Church  had  been 
maintained  during  the  Civil  War  with  some  regularity. 
The  desolating  flood  of  battle  had  scarcely  reached  its 
comparative  seclusion,  but,  like  all  Virginia,  it  felt  the 
loss  of  men  and  resources.  While  the  pastor  counted  the 
years  of  his  happy  experience  he  felt  that  a  new  worker 
might  give  fresh  inspiration  to  the  flock  and  strengthen 
the  things  that  remained.  Thus,  when  in  1869  the  Vir- 
ginia State  Mission  Board  invited  him  to  revive  our  feeble 
interest  in  Harrisonburg,  it  seemed  to  him  the  call  of 


342         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

duty  to  leave  the  old  sacred  associations.     Perchance  the 


transition  period  of  their  career.  It  was  an  interesting 
but  very  difficult  field.  Mr.  Whitescarver's  Harrisonburg 
pastorate  continued  for  eight  years.  Until  recently, 
eighteen  months  was  the  average  length  of  a  pastorate 
there.  Mount  Crawford  and  Bridgewater  Churches,  in 
Rockingham  County,  united  with  Harrisonburg  in  this 
field.  Two  years  before,  in  1867,  the  Harrisonburg 
Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Joseph  Chambliss  with 
sixteen  members.  Mr.  J.  C.  Staples  was  the  one  male 
working  force  for  many  years  and  remains  to  rejoice  in 
the  strong  additions  to  the  membership  within  the  last 
three  years.  All  manner  of  religious  denominations  flour- 
ished in  the  surrounding  country.  The  German  Bap- 
tists, or  Dunkards,  were  strong  in  rural  neighborhoods, 
and  Primitive  or  Old  School  Baptists  were  still  in  evi- 
dence. There  were  a  few  outcroppings  of  our  regular 
or  missionary  Baptists.  In  the  town  itself  Presbyterians 
and  Methodists  had  numbers  and  weight ;  there  was  a 
Lutheran  church  and  the  Episcopalians  were  strengthen- 
ing their  stakes  under  earnest  rectors.  With  his  brave 
handful  of  believers,  the  new  pastor  must  move  on  very 
different  lines  from  those  of  the  well-organized  work  in 
Fluvanna.  It  was  necessary  to  labor  and  to  wait,  to  take 
a  hard-won  salary  and  go  forth  "without  fear  and  with 
a  manly  heart."  It  is  the  old  story  of  one  or  two  faith- 
ful men  pressed  by  business  duties  and  a  few  self-deny- 
ing women  burdened  by  domestic  cares,  fighting  their 
way  inch  by  inch  to  a  higher  ground  and  a  wider  out- 
look. Mr.  Whitescarver  secured  a  house  of  worship  by 
the  purchase  of  an  old  Presbyterian  church  and  raised 
part  of  the  money.  Rev.  J.  F.  Kemper,  who  followed 
him  with  effective  work,  showed  his  executive  ability  in 
completing  the  payment. 


WILLIAM  AYLETT  WHITESCARVER     343 

For  eiglit  years  Mr.  Whitescarver  did  his  faithful  serv- 
ice in  Harrisonburg.  He  had  stood  for  Christian  char- 
acter and  genuine  personal  religion  and  the  cause  felt  the 
impulse  of  his  consecrating  influence.  An  Episcopal 
neighbor  was  wont  to  say:  "I  saw  him  as  one  descend- 
ing from  the  mount  of  vision  and  bringing  in  his  very 
presence  a  gracious  benediction."  The  virtues,  the 
graces,  the  Christian  life  of  the  pastor's  household  are 
still  the  theme  of  grateful  recollection  in  Harrisonburg. 
The  savor  of  his  good  name  has  comforted  the  people 
who  have  held  up  a  wavering  standard  until  they  have 
planted  it  on  firmer  ground  and  are  beginning  to  see  the 
promise  of  a  brighter  day. 

In  1877,  Mr.  Whitescarver  accepted  the  appointment 
of  the  State  Board  to  a  community  not  unlike  Harrison- 
burg in  its  constituency  and  in  the  relation  of  the  Bap- 
tists to  it — a  difficult  town  pastorate  with  few  members 
helped  by  an  older  and  promising  country  church. 

Waynesboro,  in  Augusta  County,  is  beautiful  for  sit- 
uation, the  center  of  a  rich  farming  and  grazing  country 
and  of  a  sturdy  and  worthy  people.  This  region  had  also 
its  diversified  religious  complexion,  in  which  Baptists 
were  not  conspicuous.  In  the  town  the  Methodists  were 
already  reaping  the  fruits  of  the  zeal  and  devotion  of 
active  leaders.  The  Baptists  were  few  and  weak.  There 
were  no  other  organized  churches  except  the  Presby- 
terians, a  stalwart  body,  at  the  front  of  religious  move- 
ments. The  country  roundabout  was  studded  with  stone 
or  brick  Presbyterian  churches  and  their  nearby  manses, 
the  homes  from  generation  to  generation  of  theologians, 
scholars,  able  preachers  of  the  gospel,  like  the  Dabneys, 
the  Stricklers.  the  Prestons,  the  Handys,  the  Smiths — 
heroic  spirits  who  passed  from  these  haunts  of  peace  to 
seminary  professorships  and  great  city  pastorates.  Neat 
Lutheran  churches  and  parsonages  indicated  the  progress 


344         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

of  their  people.  The  United  Brethren  and  the  Dunkards 
had  large  followings  and  well-sustained  services  with 
striking  annual  convocations  and  feasts.  The  German 
Reformed  and  other  societies  appeared  in  this  variegated 
denominational  life.  It  required  deep  conviction  and 
earnest  purpose  to  keep  aloft  the  unfamiliar  Baptist 
standard.  At  Staunton,  twelve  miles  distant,  and  in  some 
rural  neighborhoods  there  were  promising  churches.  Dr. 
George  B.  Taylor,  our  Staunton  pastor,  pressed  by  the 
claims  of  his  own  field,  yet  gave  of  his  wisdom  in  com- 
forting, visitation  and  services  to  the  Waynesboro 
Church.  It  was  in  1873  that  the  church  was  regularly 
constituted.  Dr.  Charles  Manly  presiding  at  the  meeting. 
Rev.  John  H.  Taylor  became  the  efficient  pastoral  supply 
twice  a  month.  From  the  other  side  of  the  Blue  Ridge 
the  old  Hillsboro  Church  of  Albemarle  County  united 
with  Waynesboro  and  added  its  hopeful  note  to  the  call, 
each  church  being  supplied  with  preaching  twice  a  month. 
The  almost  inaccessible  location  and  unattractive  church 
building  did  not  warn  the  people  away  from  the  Waynes- 
boro services  and  the  little  contingent  took  fresh  heart  of 
grace,  while  the  good  Piedmont  church  rallied  well  to 
the  pastor.  But  the  critical  illness  of  his  wife  seemed  to 
turn  to  a  fatal  issue,  and  in  1878  his  son-in-law.  Dr. 
Thomas  Hume,  resigning  his  Norfolk  charge,  came  to 
Mr.  Whitescarver's  relief  as  substitute  pastor  and  served 
both  his  churches  for  nearly  a  year.  A  revival  at  Hills- 
boro resulted  in  large  additions  to  that  church.  The 
Waynesboro  congregations  grew  apace.  Its  services  were 
multiplied  and  the  community  outside  the  pale  of  our 
church  began  to  take  interest  in  it.  The  unselfish  pastor 
and  his  working  substitute  determined  to  exhort  the 
brethren  to  seek  the  aid  of  the  State  Mission  Board  in 
maintaining  every-Sunday  services,  and  Dr.  Hume  had 
the  satisfaction  of  presenting  to  the  Board  and  the  church 


WILLIAM  AYLETT  WHITESCARVER     345 

Rev.  Henry  Grady  Ferguson.  The  courage  of  their  con- 
victions was  justified  by  the  success  that  attended  his  self- 
denying  labors  and  that  was  crowned  at  last  by  the  more 
efficient  organization  and  the  beautiful  church  edifice. 

Hillsboro  still  claimed  Mr.  Whitescarver's  labors  and 
he  gave  some  pastoral  service  to  Goshen  in  Augusta 
County.  Handicapped  by  illness  in  his  family,  he 
preached  when  he  could  the  gospel  he  loved  so  well,  but 
accepted  with  serene  patience  the  double  cross  laid  on 
him.  When  he  had  passed  his  eightieth  year  he  could  not 
be  restrained  from  activities  which  would  have  taxed 
younger  strength.  The  path  of  the  just  shineth  brighter 
and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day.  It  was  not  until  his 
eighty-fourth  year,  in  1899,  that  he  "fell  on  sleep,"  hav- 
ing scarcely  rested  from  the  passion  of  devoted  service 
to  the  beloved  invalid  who  survived  him.  "The  end  of 
that  man  was  peace,"  an  abundant  entrance  his  into  the 
everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ. 

Thomas  Hume,  Jr. 


ASA  ROUTH 

On  March  10.  1899,  the  earthly  career  of  Asa  Routh, 
a  veteran  minister,  came  to  an  end  at  Piney  Flats,  Ten- 
nessee. He  was  born  in  Clinch  Valley,  Grainger  County, 
Tennessee,  July  23,  1818,  his  mother  being  of  Irish  ex- 
traction and  his  father  of  Welsh  descent.  Welsh  fire  and 
Irish  humor  flashed  in  the  small  black  eyes  of  this  man 
of  God.  He  was  especially  gifted  as  an  evangelist.  Dur- 
ing his  ministry  of  some  fifty  years  he  led  to  the  Saviour 
over  5,000  persons,  of  which  number  he  baptized  3,000 
into  the  fellowship  of  Baptist  churches.  His  early  op- 
portunities for  an  education  were  limited,  but  he  did  the 
best  he  could  with  his  chance  and  was  well  versed  in  the 
Bible.  In  1846  he  was  licensed  by  the  Puncheon  Camp 
Church  (Grainger  County)  and  a  little  later  ordained  by 
the  same  body,  James  Greenlee  and  Daniel  P.  Alorris 
being  the  presbytery.  He  served  as  pastor  the  following 
churches :  Elm  Spring,  Puncheon  Camp,  Buffalo,  Little 
Sycamore,  Tazewell,  Rob  Camp,  Independence,  Blount- 
ville,  Holston  Valley,  Bluff  City,  Bethel,  Johnson  City, 
Old  Union,  Boon's  Creek,  Fordtown,  Buco  Grove,  Chaly- 
beate Spring,  Liberty,  Friendship,  in  Tennessee;  and  in 
Virginia,  Clear  Spring,  Wallace,  Castle's  Woods,  Sulphur 
Springs,  Independence,  Bethel,  Oak  Grove,  Mendota,  and 
Lebanon. 

He  came  to  Virginia  in  1860,  settling  at  Lebanon. 
Here,  as  a  missionary  pastor,  first  under  the  Virginia 
State  Mission  Board,  and  then  under  the  Home  Mission 
Society  of  New  York,  he  labored  for  many  years.  Part 
of  this  time  his  salary  was  only  $300.  His  family  was  a 
large  one.    Upon  one  occasion  a  stranger  spent  Saturday 

346 


ASA  ROUTH  347 

night  at  Mr.  Roiith's  home,  and  the  next  morning,  see- 
ing the  whole  family  gathered,  asked  who  was  the  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school.  The  preacher  answered  : 
"I  am."  Little  wonder  that  the  visitor  thought  it  was  a 
Sunday  school — there  were  twenty-nine  children.  With 
such  a  family  doubtless  the  gift  of  thirteen  jacket-pat- 
terns of  home-spun  check  cotton  and  turkey  red  was  most 
acceptable.  His  wife  made  him  one  or  two  jackets  from 
the  turkey  red  patterns  and  thought  of  putting  some  of 
the  others  together  into  a  pair  of  pants  so  that  the  sisters 
of  the  "Dutch  Settlement"  might  see  that  their  pastor 
needed  something  besides  jacket-patterns. 

He  conducted  many  meetings  in  which  there  were 
scores  and  hundreds  of  conversions.  In  a  meeting  at 
Buffalo  in  which  there  were  112  conversions  and  99  ap- 
proved for  baptism,  he  facetiously  remarked  that  if  a 
right  respectable  hypocrite  had  offered  to  join  he  might 
have  been  tempted  to  receive  him  in  order  to  make  an 
even  hundred.  Once  Mr.  Routh,  with  Elder  W.  A.  Keen 
to  help  him,  went  to  hold  a  meeting  at  a  place  as  wicked 
as  its  name,  Sodom,  would  suggest.  Other  attempts  at 
a  meeting  at  this  place  had  failed.  There  was  wealth, 
but  great  wickedness.  The  meeting  was  a  powerful  one, 
resulting  in  the  weakening  of  the  whiskey  trade  and  in 
the  establishment  of  a  church  of  eighty  members. 


ROBERT  RYLAND 

Robert  Ryland,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Catharine 
Peachey  Ryland,  was  born  March  14,  1805,  at  "Farming- 
ton,"  King  and  Queen  County,  Virginia.  Most  of  the 
material  in  this  sketch  is  taken  from  articles  and  ad- 
dresses by  Dr.  Ryland. 

Of  his  home  life,  he  says:  "In  my  father's  family 
morning  and  evening  worship,  consisting  of  reading, 
singing,  and  prayer,  was  from  my  early  infancy  a  uni- 
form habit.  It  was  also  his  constant  practice  to  attend 
public  worship  with  all  his  family  when  his  church  was 
open.  His  house  was  the  common  resort  for  preachers, 
whose  discourse  in  the  private  circle  often  turned  upon 
spiritual  topics.  Never  has  a  ripple  of  discord  disturbed 
the  placid  wave  of  his  domestic  life."  His  father  had 
the  record  of  missing  the  Saturday  church  meeting  but 
once  in  fifty  years,  then  on  account  of  severe  illness. 

In  his  sixteenth  year  he  was  deeply  concerned  re- 
ligiously and  made  up  his  mind  to  become  a  Christian. 
The  preaching  of  the  day  dwelt  much  on  overwhelming 
conviction  of  sin  and  sudden  conversion.  This  being 
lacking  in  his  case,  it  was  three  years  before  he  united 
with  the  church  and  was  baptized.  "For  two  years  my 
constant  prayer  was  to  see  my  condition  in  its  true  light 
and  to  feel  the  horrors  of  a  guilty  conscience  driving  me 
almost  to  despair.  In  other  words,  I  mourned  because  I 
could  not  mourn."  Finally  becoming  convinced  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  worked  differently  in  different  cases,  he 
united  with  the  church  and  was  baptized  in  August,  1824. 

On  December  23,  1826,  he  graduated  from  Columbian 
College  and  entered  the  ministry  as  his  life  work.  "My 
call  to  the  ministry  has  been  devoid  of  that  'necessity'  of 

348 


ROBERT  RYLAND  349 

which  Paul  speaks  and  to  which  the  old  preachers  often 
alluded.  When  I  began  to  cherish  the  hope  of  divine 
mercy  the  thought  of  preacliing  occurred  to  me  and  I 
shook  it  off  as  a  vile  presumption.  It  came  back  again 
and  again  as  affording  the  highest  and  holiest  pleasure 
if  I  were  only  fit  for  the  work,  but  I  could  not  venture. 
...  I  concluded  to  give  myself  to  study  so  as  to  qualify 
myself  as  far  as  possible  for  the  ministry,  to  make  it  the 
subject  of  constant  prayer  for  divine  guidance,  and  to 
submit  the  final  question  of  my  life  work  to  the  decision 
of  the  church  and  the  rulings  of  Providence.  Thus  I 
was  led  into  the  work  of  preaching  without  a  sudden 
and  full  persuasion  that  the  call  was  a  definite  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  .  .  .  Except  for  a  painful  conscious- 
ness of  unfitness  which  has  followed  me  in  every  step  of 
my  pilgrimage  and  sometimes  well-nigh  overwhelmed  me, 
I  have  enjoyed  supreme  pleasure  in  preaching  the  gospel. 
.  .  .  I  would  to-day  rather  be  the  humble  pastor  of  an 
appreciative  and  progressive  gospel  church  than  to  wear 
the  brightest  diadem  that  ever  sparkled  on  a  monarch's 
brow."  This  quotation  is  taken  from  an  article  written 
in  his  eighty-fifth  year. 

His  first  pastorate  was  a  Baptist  church  of  nineteen 
members  in  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  fomied  by  a  split  in 
the  First  Church,  "whose  house,  unsightly  and  uncom- 
modious,  was  located  on  the  extreme  western  verge  of 
the  town  as  far  off  from  the  residents  as  it  could  pos- 
sibly get."  Those  nineteen  members  were  worshiping 
in  the  Masonic  Hall  by  courtesy  of  that  brotherhood. 
With  the  exception  of  one  family,  they  were  poor  people, 
and  the  Baptist  cause  in  Lynchburg  was  far  from  flour- 
ishing. 

Dr.  Ryland  reached  Lynchburg  in  May,  1827.  after  a 
four-day  horseback  ride  from  his  home  in  King  and 
Queen  County.    His  first  sermon  was  preached  from  the 


350         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

words :  "For  I  determined  not  to  know  anything  among 
you  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified,"  in  the  old 
Masonic  Hall  to  an  audience  which,  "sitting  around  on 
the  edge  of  the  room  and  leaning  against  the  walls,  left 
the  middle  space  a  blank.  A  slight  survey  of  the  situa- 
tion brought  to  his  mind  a  single  ray  of  hope  that  the 
only  change  that  could  possibly  occur  would  be  for  the 
better."  "The  only  thing  said  about  salary,  and  that  was 
not  put  on  record,  was  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hollins  were 
to  furnish  him  a  home,  including  everything,  and  the 
other  eighteen  his  wardrobe."  The  total  amount  of 
money  received  for  his  five  years  of  service  was  $500.00. 
"In  the  midsummer  of  1827  it  became  manifest  that  God 
was  among  the  little  band  of  nineteen.  Without  the  aid 
of  an  evangelist  or  revivalist  or  a  protracted  meeting 
(these  things  were  not  known  in  that  day),  a  solemn  still- 
ness came  over  them  when  they  convened  for  worship, 
the  congregations  increased,  prayer-meetings  began  to  be 
held  every  night  in  private  homes,  the  songs  became  more 
tender,  the  petitions  more  earnest,  and  the  Christians 
more  faithful,  and  without  manipulations  sinners  were 
heard  to  sob  and  cry  for  mercy.  Early  in  August  the 
pastor  baptized  his  first  convert." 

During  his  remaining  service  in  Lynchburg  he  baptized 
every  month,  except  one,  a  few  converts,  ranging  from 
one  to  six,  and  aggregating  about  thirty  each  year,  and 
just  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  the  five  years.  He  resigned 
in  June,  1832,  to  take  charge  of  the  Virginia  Baptist 
Seminary,  leaving  a  church  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
members  in  a  comfortable  and  respectable  house.  This 
church  is  now  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Lynchburg. 
These  quotations  are  taken  from  an  address  delivered  at 
the  dedication  of  the  new  church  September  12,   1886. 

The  first  of  July,  1832,  Robert  Ryland  took  charge  of 
the  Virginia  Baptist  Seminary  (it  was  chartered  in  1840 


ROBERT  RYLAND  351 

as  Richmond  College)  on  the  newly  purchased  Spring 
Fann,  near  Richmond,  and  on  the  fourth  of  July  this 
institution  was  opened  with  nine  students.  A  quotation 
from  a  letter  written  by  Dr.  Ryland  soon  after  taking 
charge  of  the  Seminary  gives  a  glimpse  of  its  work. 
"Our  internal  regulations  are  these:  The  bell  rings  at 
half-past  four  to  wake  the  students,  at  five  to  call  them 
to  worship,  at  six  for  breakfast,  at  seven  for  recitation, 
at  ten  for  recitation,  at  one  for  dinner,  at  half -past  two 
for  recitation,  at  half-past  three  for  manual  labor,  at  half- 
past  six  for  evening  worship,  and,  when  this  is  done,  for 
tea.  These  hours,  of  course,  will  be  regulated  with  the 
seasons.  The  time  appropriated  for  study  is  as  long  as 
in  most  of  our  colleges,  but  the  hours  they  use  for  recrea- 
tion we  appropriate  to  useful  labor."  All  the  students 
at  this  time  were  ministerial  students,  and  it  was  expected 
that  in  this  way  they  would  be  able  to  defray  a  part  if 
not  all  of  the  expenses. 

In  an  address  delivered  before  the  College  in  1890,  Dr. 
Ryland  says :  "One  of  the  most  useful  and  inexpensive 
methods  of  instruction  adopted  was  that  at  our  meals 
questions  were  proposed  that  would  turn  the  conversation 
into  channels  of  usefulness.  The  boys,  like  most  other 
youths  that  enter  our  academies,  were  painfully  deficient 
in  orthography.  Words  were,  therefore,  given  out  to  be 
spelled  and  passed  around  until  all  had  mastered  them, 
never  to  be  forgotten.  It  was  here  that  I  first  heard  pho- 
netic spelling  practically  illustrated.  One  of  the  boys, 
who  afterwards  became  somewhat  distinguished  for  lit- 
erary attainments,  told  me  that  up  to  that  time  he  had 
never  known  that  there  was  or  ought  to  be  more  than  one 
way  to  spell  a  word,  and  that  was  the  shortest.  From 
spelling  we  advanced  to  orthoepy,  to  grammar,  to  ety- 
mology%  to  history,  and  even  to  simple  Bible  exegesis. 
These  were  our  table  talks." 


352         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

In  1834  the  Trustees  purchased  "Columbia,"  the  prop- 
erty of  Mrs.  Clara  Haxall,  and  moved  to  its  present  loca- 
tion. Subsequent  purchases  gave  the  College  a  campus 
approximately  bound  by  Broad,  Franklin,  Lombardy,  and 
Ryland  Streets.  In  1849  the  first  commencement  was 
held  and  diplomas  granted  to  two  graduates,  P.  S.  Hen- 
son  and  Josiah  Ryland. 

In  1866,  Dr.  Ryland  resigned  the  presidency  of  the 
College,  after  thirty-four  years  of  service,  during  which 
the  College  had  grown  from  its  humble  beginning  as  a 
Seminary  at  Spring  Farm,  with  one  teacher,  to  a  worthy 
college.  "The  endowment  had  reached  $100,000.00  at 
the  opening  of  the  War,  and  was,  with  the  tuition  fees, 
supporting  moderately  a  faculty  of  six  professors  and 
one  tutor,  the  number  of  students  averaging  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty.  The  War,  helium  ho?rendnm,  sus- 
pended our  operations,  scattered  the  pupils,  threw  the 
teachers  out  of  employment,  ruined  the  library  and  appa- 
ratus, defaced  the  buildings,  and  destroyed  most  of  the 
endowment. 

"On  reviewing  the  early  history  of  our  educational  ef- 
forts, I  must  say  that  for  the  amount  of  money  expended, 
for  the  number  of  instructors  employed,  and  for  the  mod- 
est outlay  in  buildings,  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War,  the  Education  Society  and  its  successor,  the  Edu- 
cation Board,  were  most  efficient  factors  in  the  improve- 
ment of  our  ministry,  in  the  advancement  of  the  Baptist 
cause,  and  in  the  general  culture  of  the  rising  generation. 
Statistics  will  show  about  two  hundred  and  forty  young 
ministers,  educated  up  to  the  point  of  usefulness,  a  re- 
spectable portion  of  them  and  of  other  young  men  gradu- 
ated, and  a  large  number  encouraged  in  elementary- 
studies." 

At  the  time  of  his  resignation,  the  College  had  just 
come  through  the  devastation  of  the  Civil  War  and  he 


ROBERT  RYLAND  353 

felt  that  its  rehabilitation  could  be  more  wisely  entrusted 
to  other  hands.  These  quotations  are  from  an  address 
delivered  at  the  College  by  Dr.  Ryland  at  the  commence- 
ment in  1890. 

One  of  the  notable  services  which  Dr.  Ryland  rendered 
at  this  time  was  his  work  as  pastor  of  the  First  African 
Church.  About  the  year  1838  the  First  Baptist  Church 
in  Richmond  found  that  its  building  was  inadequate  and 
poorly  located  and  that  the  mixed  congregation,  white 
and  colored,  prevented  the  most  effectual  work.  A  new 
building  was,  therefore,  erected  on  the  present  site  and 
the  old  church  was  turned  over  to  the  negroes.  The 
Virginia  law  forbade  a  negro  church  unless  there  was  a 
w'hite  minister,  and  Dr.  Ryland  agreed  to  take  charge 
of  the  church,  because,  among  other  reasons,  "since  the 
passage  of  the  law  by  the  Virginia  Legislature  forbid- 
ding all  colored  preachers  to  minister  to  their  people  in 
divine  things,  he  felt  that  all  the  ministers  of  Christ,  and 
especially  those  of  his  own  denomination,  were  called  on 
to  put  forth  new  efforts  to  evangelize  the  people  of 
color."  "He  entered  this  field  on  the  first  Sunday  in  Oc- 
tober, 1841.  and  was  cordially  received  by  the  whole  con- 
gregation. A  revised  list  of  the  actual  members  con- 
tained about  one  thousand.  The  thirty  deacons  w^ho  con- 
stituted the  ruling  element  of  the  church  w^ere  an  intel- 
ligent, godly,  and  respectable  body  of  men.  He  verily 
believed  that  in  all  their  religious  convocations  they  each 
and  every  one  had  at  heart  their  own  spiritual  culture, 
the  salvation  of  their  people,  the  peace  and  order  of  so- 
ciety, and  the  glory  of  God."  "In  his  preaching  he  sought 
to  be  instructive  rather  than  pathetic,  to  dwell  on  the  dis- 
tinctive doctrines  and  precepts  of  Christianity,  rather 
than  on  its  metaphysical  refinements,  and  to  preach  out 
of  their  minds  their  dreams  and  fancies,  their  visions  and 
revelations,  and  all  their  long-cherished  superstitions,  and 


354         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

to  preach  into  their  minds  a  knowledge  of  the  great  facts 
of  their  rehgion  and  its  consequent  doctrine,  obhgations, 
and  privileges."  One  illustration  will  indicate  the  effec- 
tiveness of  his  work.  "An  intelligent  looking  man,  whose 
name  I  did  not  know,  came  to  me  at  the  close  of  the 
meeting  one  day  and  said  with  evident  concern :  'Brother 
Ryland,  you  have  preached  away  nearly  all  my  religion. 
What  is  left  is  hanging  by  a  thread.'  'What  is  that 
thread?'  I  inquired.  'Jesus  Christ  died  to  save  sinners. 
They  must  trust  alone  in  Him,'  he  answered.  'Well,  that 
thread,'  said  I,  with  a  smile,  'is  strong  enough  to  hold 
you  up!'"  "He  wrote  a  catechism  of  fifty-two  lessons 
for  the  benefit  of  the  entire  congregation.  The  questions 
were  so  formed  as  to  require  the  answer  'Yes'  or  'No,' 
and  a  passage  of  Scripture  was  then  quoted  to  prove  the 
answer.  It  is  believed  that  much  good  resulted  from 
memorizing  at  least  one  proof  text  on  the  various  topics 
introduced  into  the  lessons."  Forty  years  after  his  resig- 
nation a  Northern  worker  among  the  colored  population 
in  Richmond  said  she  found  the  older  people  surprisingly 
well  versed  in  Scripture  knowledge.  She  asked  the  rea- 
son, and  one  of  them  replied :  "Dr.  Ryland  taught  us." 
In  1865,  Dr.  Ryland  resigned  his  pastorate,  feeling  that 
the  emancipated  negro  would  prefer  a  member  of  his  own 
race  as  pastor.  "From  October  1,  1841,  to  July  1,  1865, 
the  additions  by  baptism  to  the  First  African  Church 
numbered  3,832.  ...  It  was  thought  best  to  dis- 
courage a  hasty  profession  of  religion  among  them.  An 
applicant  for  admission  was  required  to  bring  testi- 
monials of  good  or  improving  character.  Had  the  per- 
suasive instead  of  the  restraining  policy  been  pursued 
the  number  of  baptisms  might  easily  have  been  doubled. 
It  seemed  very  important  to  impress,  especially  the 
younger  candidates,  with  a  deep  sense  of  the  fearful  guilt 
of  trifling  ivith  their  souls  and  zcith  their  God."    These 


ROBERT  RYLAND  355 

quotations  are  taken  from  an  address  by  Dr.  Ryland  at 
the  Centennial  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  1880. 

After  resigning  the  presidency  of  Richmond  College, 
in  1866,  Dr.  Ryland  was  connected  with  other  educational 
institutions.  For  two  years  he  taught  at  the  Woman's 
College.  He  moved  to  Kentucky  in  1868  to  accept  the 
presidency  of  the  Shelby ville  Female  College.  After- 
wards, he  held  similar  positions  at  New  Castle  and  Lex- 
ington, at  the  same  time  serving  as  pastor  of  various 
country  or  village  churches.  In  1893  he  became  chap- 
lain of  the  Southwest  Virginia  Institute  at  Bristol,  where 
he  served  for  four  years.  During  all  these  years  Dr. 
Ryland  loved  to  preach  and  did  so  whenever  possible. 

He  died  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  April  23,  1899.  His  fun- 
eral was  conducted  from  the  Chapel  of  Richmond  Col- 
lege and  he  was  buried  in  the  College  lot  in  Hollywood. 
On  the  walls  of  Ryland  Hall  at  Richmond  College  is  a 
tablet  with  this  inscription : 

Robert  Ryland,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
1805-1899 
President   of   the   Virginia    Baptist   Seminary- 
President  and  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy 
Richmond  College 
1832-1866. 
Eminent  in  mind  and  character,  efficient  in  office,  and   faithful  to 
every  trust.     The  Trustees  dedicate  this  building  to  the 
memory  of  his  tireless  energy  and  successful 
devotion  to  Christian  Education. 

The  monument  which  the  Trustees  erected  over  his 
grave  in  Hollywood  bears  this  inscription : 

Robert  Ryland,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

1805-1899 

President   of  the  Virginia    Baptist   Seminary   and   of    Richmond 

College,    1832-1866.  _   Erected   by   the   Trustees    of    the    College    in 

memory  of  his  efficient  and  devoted  service  to  Christian  Education. 

Ryland  Knight. 


DAVID  C.  RITTENHOUSE 

David  C.  Rittenhonse  was  born  October  13,  1821.  His 
parents  were  Henry  T.  and  Martha  Turner  Rittenhouse, 
and  he  was  one  of  nine  children.  He  was  converted  in 
early  life  and  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Mount 
Shiloh  Baptist  Church,  Nelson  County,  by  Rev.  Charles 
Wingfield.  He  was  a  student  at  Richmond  College  when 
Dr.  Robert  Ryland  was  president.  He  never  forgot  his 
alma  mater,  and  "affectionately  remembered  her  in  sub- 
stantial gifts."  Upon  leaving  college  he  went  to  the 
mountains  of  Albemarle  and  the  surrounding  counties  as 
missionary  and  colporteur.  Baptists  at  that  time  were  not 
numerous  in  this  section  and  he  preached  and  scattered 
literature  as  he  went.  On  April  27,  1857,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  S.  E.  Brown  of  his  own  county. 

Mr.  Rittenhouse  was  a  preacher  of  the  old  type.  He 
united  the  work  of  farmer  and  preacher.  He  was  the 
beloved  pastor  of  Mt.  Liberty  Baptist  Church,  Albe- 
marle County,  for  forty  years,  and  in  the  closing  years  of 
his  life  built  two  churches,  one  near  Covesville  and  the 
other,  Ariel,  in  the  lower  part  of  Nelson.  The  former 
of  these  churches  was  on  his  own  farm  and  especially 
the  object  of  his  love.  He  was  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances and  given  to  liberality.  At  one  time  it  was  his 
custom  to  contribute  $5  towards  every  Baptist  meeting- 
house in  Virginia  of  whose  erection  he  heard,  but 
towards  the  end  of  his  life  these  new  churches  were  so 
numerous  that  he  had  to  reduce  his  gift  from  five  dollars 
to  one.  His  piety,  faithfulness,  devotion,  his  courage, 
his  candor,  his  unassuming  ways,  combined  to  make  him 
a  good  neighbor  and  a  useful  man  and  minister.  He  died, 
after  an  illness  of  some  eight  months,  on  May  2,  1899,  at 
his  home  in  Albemarle,  being  survived  by  his  wife  and 
his  daughter,  who  was  the  wife  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Wright. 

356 


MILTON  ROBERT  GRIMSLEY 

Milton  Robert  Grimsley,  the  son  of  Rev.  A.  M. 
Grimsley,  and  the  nephew  of  Rev.  Barnett  Grimsley, 
was  born  March  31,  1854,  near  Boston,  Culpeper  County, 
Virginia.  In  October,  1874,  he  made  a  profession  of 
religion  at  Mount  Lebanon  Church,  Rappahannock 
County,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Silas  Bruce.  In  the 
fall  of  1880  he  became  a  colporteur  of  the  Sunday  School 
and  Bible  Board.  In  two  years,  his  territory  being  the 
counties  of  Culpeper,  Rappahannock  and  Madison,  he 
traveled,  mostly  on  foot,  3,200  miles  and  visited  2,500 
families.  In  1881  Mount  Lebanon  Church  licensed  him, 
and  in  October,  1882,  he  entered  Crozer  Theological 
Seminary.  He  received  his  certificate  from  this  institu- 
tion in  1885  and  after  his  death.  Dr.  H.  G.  Weston,  the 
president,  said  of  him:  "He  was  a  diligent  and  faithful 
student,  sustained  an  excellent  reputation,  was  greatly 
esteemed  and  appreciated,  and  has  left  a  cherished 
memory."  While  still  a  student  at  Crozer,  on  July  1883, 
he  was  ordained  at  Mt.  Lebanon,  the  presbytery  con- 
sisting of  Luther  R.  Steele,  A.  M.  Grimsley,  S.  M. 
Athey  and  J.  N.  Doffermyer. 

He  became  the  pastor  of  Mt.  Lebanon,  and  served  it, 
with  Slate  Mills,  for  ten  years.  From  1884  to  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  pastor  of  Jeffersonton  Church,  Cul- 
peper County,  and  from  1888  till  his  death  was  pastor  of 
Amissville  Church,  Rappahannock  County.  Upon  the 
death  of  his  father  in  April,  1894,  Milton  succeeded  him 
in  the  pastorate  of  the  Orlean  Church,  Fauquier  County. 
So  this  flock  was  ministered  to  for  a  quarter  of  a  century 
by  sire  and  son.  He  labored  much  in  protracted  meetings 
with  churches  of  the  Shiloh  and  Potomac  Associations, 

357 


358         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

having  great  success  in  this  field  of  effort.  While 
remarkably  fitted  for  evangelistic  service,  the  pastorate 
had  for  him  the  stronger  charm  and  power.  "He 
possessed  a  voice  of  exquisite  sweetness,  and  in  manner 
he  was  as  gentle  as  a  woman.  His  preaching  was  tender 
and  winning."  In  April,  1899,  he  was  smitten  with 
typhoid  fever,  and  on  June  9th  he  passed  to  his  eternal 
reward. 

JOHN  S.  GLASS 

Rev.  Dr.  W.  J.  Shipman,  who  visited  John  S.  Glass 
in  his  last  illness,  pays  a  beautiful  tribute  to  him  in  the 
obituary  notice  that  appeared  in  the  Minutes  of  the 
General  Association  for  1899.  This  sketch  is  based  on 
that  obituary.  On  July  23,  1899,  when  John  S.  Glass 
passed  away,  he  lacked  only  two  days  of  reaching  eighty 
years.  For  fifty-five  years  he  had  testified  in  the  Rice- 
ville  neighborhood,  the  community  where  he  had  been 
reared,  for  Jesus  his  Saviour.  For  half  a  century  he 
was  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  In  early  manhood  he  gave 
his  heart  to  God  and  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of 
the  Riceville  Baptist  Church,  a  church  organized  in  1798 
and  a  member  of  the  Roanoke  Association.  "His 
changed  life,  his  loyalty  to  Christ,  and  his  Christian  walk 
gave  an  influence  for  the  power  of  Christianity  which 
led  many  to  Christ."  Much  of  his  work  was  in  destitute 
sections.  All  of  his  churches  were  in  the  Roanoke  Asso- 
ciation. He  was  pastor  of  Edge  Hill  about  thirteen 
years,  of  Mulberry  about  ten,  and  of  New  Prospect, 
Swan  Creek,  Reed  Creek,  and  County  Line,  for  shorter 
periods.  He  was  a  valuable  citizen,  much  respected  by 
young  and  old,  and  his  advice,  on  important  questions, 
was  often  sought.  He  was  married  three  times.  Six 
children  of  his  first  wife  survived  him,  and  also  his  last 
wife.  He  was  laid  to  rest  near  his  home,  in  the  cemetery 
of  the  Riceville  (Pittsylvania  County)  Church. 


A.  LITTLE 

The  Lebanon  Association  was  the  field  of  the  labors 
of  Rev.  A.  Little.  He  worked  for  churches  that  were 
not  able  to  give  him  much  financial  help,  but  he  did  his 
work  with  faithfulness.  Among  the  churches  that  he 
served  were :  Bethel,  Brumley's  Creek,  Cedar  Creek, 
Mt.  View,  Tumbling  Creek  and  Greenfield.  At  one  time 
he  was  a  colporteur  in  this  Association.  For  a  year 
before  his  death  he  was  helped  by  the  Ministers'  Relief 
Fund.  After  a  long  life  of  labor  in  the  Master's  cause, 
and  after  an  illness  of  several  months,  he  died  December 
28,  1897. 


W.  T.  JONES 

Laurel  Hill  and  Charles  City  were  the  Virginia  pastor- 
ates of  W.  T.  Jones.  He  died  at  Laurel  Hill,  August 
30,  1899.  His  other  pastorates  were:  Morehead  City, 
N.  C. ;  Cumberland,  Md. ;  Goldsboro,  N.  C.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Wake  Forest  in  1879  and  attended  the  Southern 
Baptist  Theological  Seminary  the  session  1881-82.  He 
was  born  in  Wilmington,  N.  C,  September  26,  1855. 
He  made  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ  under  the 
preaching  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Hiden,  and  was  baptized  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Wilmington. 
''As  an  expounder  of  Scripture  he  was  sound ;  as  a 
pastor  he  was  loving  and  loved;  as  a  defender  of  the 
right,  he  was  brave." 


359 


THOMAS  W.  GREER 

In  the  Concord  Association  Rev.  Thomas  W.  Greer 
was  pastor  for  a  long  term  of  years,  serving  these 
churches:  Bethel,  Mt.  Zion,  Olivet,  Tabernacle,  Buffalo, 
Antioch,  Concord,  Averett,  and  Olive  Branch.  At  one 
time  a  missionary  of  the  State  Mission  Board  he 
labored  most  earnestly  and  successfully,  many  being  con- 
verted under  his  preaching,  and  seven  churches  being 
constituted.  During  his  ministry  of  over  fifty  years, 
hundreds,  perhaps  thousands,  were  converted,  and 
"about  one  hundred  churches  organized."  His  knowl- 
edge of  the  Bible  was  wonderful,  and  he  was  well  in- 
formed on  many  subjects.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1817,  and  died  in  Mecklenburg  County,  Janu- 
ary 24,  1900.  He  was  married  in  New  Concord,  Ohio, 
February  10th,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Wilson,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Samuel  Wilson,  a  distinguished  Presbyterian  min- 
ister and  educator.  His  wife  and  five  of  his  nine  children 
survived  him.  He  was  strong  in  intellect,  amiable  in 
disposition,  and,  as  a  preacher,  bold  and  earnest. 


JOSEPH  A.  MANSFIELD 

Joseph  A.  Mansfield  was  born  in  Orange  County,  Vir- 
ginia, June  25,  1806.  He  was  pastor  of  churches  in 
Greene,  Madison,  Orange  and  Louisa  counties.  The 
names  of  all  the  churches  he  served  are  not  now  known, 
but  in  1855  he  was  pastor  of  Bethany,  Orange  County, 
Shiloh  Association.  He  gave  the  best  days  of  his  life  to 
the  Master's  cause.    He  died  August  8,  1899. 


360 


ALEXANDER  GILMER  McMANAWAY 

The  atmosphere  of  the  Bedford  home  and  community 
into  which,  on  August  19,  1852,  Alexander  Gilmer 
McManaway  was  born,  was  decidedly  religious.  His 
mother  was  at  once  strong,  gentle,  and  pious,  and 
religious  discussions  were  the  order  of  the  day  in  that 
house  and  neighborhood.  Before  his  conversion  the 
youth  was  one  of  the  speakers  at  a  public  debate  on  the 
question  of  the  equality  of  the  Divine  Son  with  the 
Father,  a  question  that  stirred  the  community  for 
months,  and  by  the  influence  of  a  young  lady  he  had  been 
led  to  read  the  Bible  through  and  to  work  in  the  Sunday 
School.  At  an  early  age  he  taught  in  the  Public  Schools, 
having  prepared,  for  the  examination  preceding  this 
work,  with  his  book  on  his  plow.  He  was  ordained  at 
the  call  of  Chamblissburg  Church ;  spent  some  years 
at  Richmond  College  and  the  Southern  Baptist  Theo- 
logical Seminary;  was  married  in  May,  1878,  to 
Miss  Josie  Robertson,  of  Petersburg;  then  became 
pastor  at  Blacksburg.  His  other  pastorates  were : 
Louisburg  and  Franklinton,  N.  C. ;  First  Church, 
Charlotte,  N.  C. ;  First  Church,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 
Next  he  was  associated  with  Ouachita  College,  Arka- 
delphia.  Ark.,  first  as  general  agent,  and  then  as  Pro- 
fessor of  Greek.  In  1889  he  had  gone  abroad  with 
his  brother,  and  while  in  England  arranged  with 
Charles  H.  Spurgeon  to  bring  out  a  volume  of  "Select 
Sermons"  of  the  great  London  preacher;  this  he  did, 
conjointly  with  his  brother  James,  upon  his  return  home. 
He  had  already  done  literary  and  newspaper  work  for 
the  North  Carolina  Baptist  and  the  Charlotte  Nezvs  and 
Observer,  and  the  Religious  Herald  often  contained 
articles  from  his  pen.  He  died  at  a  sanitarium  in  St. 
Louis,  his  brother  James  being  with  him,  December  31, 
1899,  and  his  last  words  were :  "Jim,  I  hear  the  sound  of 
a  thousand  waters." 

361 


JOHN  A.  RICHARDSON 

John  A.  Richardson  was  born  Sept.  6,  1826.  His 
parents,  who  were  "highly  respected,"  gave  him  "all  of 
the  advantages  of  the  neighborhood  schools."  In  1847 
he  was  married  to  Miss  A.  E.  Timberlake.  Of  this 
union  three  children  were  born.  In  1879  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  A.  L.  Binford,  his  first  wife  having  died 
in  1875.  Of  this  second  marriage  seven  children  were 
born.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  in  the  army  with 
gallantry.  Not  until  after  this  struggle  was  he  impressed 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach.  It  is  suggested  that  the 
thought  of  God's  mercy  which  had  guarded  him  from 
so  many  perils  during  this  time  of  danger,  led  him  to 
enter  the  ministry.  After  a  careful  study  of  the  Bible 
he  went  to  Rev.  J.  H.  Barnes  and  made  known  the  fact 
that  strong  convictions  had  decided  him  to  unite  with 
the  Baptists.  He  was  received  into  the  fellowship  of 
Liberty  Church  (Dover  Association)  of  which  Mr. 
Barnes  was  pastor,  and  here,  on  August  26,  1876,  he  was 
ordained.  In  January,  1878,  he  accepted  the  care  of  the 
Antioch  Baptist  Church,  Dover  Association.  He 
resigned  this  church  in  1890,  but  only  because  the 
moderator  of  the  Association  was  seeking  to  consolidate 
fields.  This  change  was  a  distinct  sacrifice  to  him.  He 
left  true  friends  to  enter  upon  work  with  new  and 
untried  brethren ;  nor  was  his  salary  on  his  new  field  as 
large  as  it  had  been.  From  Antioch  he  went  to  the 
pastorate  of  Emmaus  in  New  Kent  County.  In  1877 
he  did  missionary  work  at  New  Kent  Courthouse  that 
led  to  the  building  there  of  the  Corinth  Baptist  Church 
which  was  dedicated  in  November,  1878.  He  at  once 
became    the    pastor,    and    remained    in    this    office    until 

362 


JOHN  A.  RICHARDSON  363 

shortly  before  his  death,  when  he  resigned,  whereupon 
he  was  made  emeritus  pastor.  As  a  preacher  he  was 
earnest,  sympathetic,  forceful,  with  the  missionary  spirit. 
He  gave  liberally  of  his  own  means  and  was  careful  that 
every  object  of  the  General  Association  should  be  pre- 
sented to  his  churches ;  no  blanks  stood  opposite  the 
names  of  his  churches  in  the  list  of  contributions. 
Rev.  J.  T.  Tucker,  who  knew  his  work  for  twenty  years 
and  on  whose  tribute  to  him  this  sketch  is  mainly  based, 
says :  "I  have  never  known  a  serious  division  to  arise 
in  any  one  of  his  churches  nor  the  desire  of  even  a  few 
that  he  should  resign.  To  me  it  seemed  that  all  men 
loved  him."    His  death  took  place  February  10,  1900. 


GEORGE  FRANKLIN  BAGBY 

While  the  larger  part  of  Dr.  Bagby's  ministry  was 
spent  in  Kentucky,  he  was  born  in  Virginia;  here  his 
last  work  was  done,  and  here,  beneath  the  sod  of  King 
and  Queen,  his  native  county,  in  the  Bruington  church- 
yard, his  ashes  await  the  resurrection  morn.  His 
ancestry,  and  doubtless  the  very  atmosphere  of  the 
section  where  he  first  saw  the  light  and  where  he  was 
reared,  gave  him  that  urbanity  and  courtesy  which  were 
such  marked  traits  in  his  character.  Yet  it  was  the  grace 
of  God  in  his  heart,  as  well,  that  helped  to  make  him  so 
genial  a  friend  and  charming  companion.  There  was 
such  a  fiery  temper  in  him  in  his  younger  days,  that 
when  he  was  examined  for  ordination.  Dr.  Andrew 
Broaddus,  Jr.,  of  Carolina,  rather  advised  against  his 
going  into  the  ministry.  During  his  life  in  Kentucky, 
upon  one  occasion,  a  man  threatened  to  come  over  the 
fence  and  whip  him.  He  received  this  reply:  "If  you 
were  to  come  over  the  fence  to  whip  me,  it  might  be 
my  Christian  duty  to  stand  here  and  allow  you  to  do  it. 
But  I  am  so  much  afraid  that  I  might  not  be  able  to  do 
my  duty,  that  I  advise  you  to  stay  on  your  side  of  the 
fence." 

He  was  born  February  22,  1836.  He  graduated  at 
Columbian  College,  Washington,  in  June,  1857,  and  on 
the  1 5th  of  the  following  December  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Thomas  Courtney,  of  King  and  Queen  County. 
From  the  time  of  his  ordination,  until  the  Civil  War 
broke  out,  he  was  pastor  of  churches  in  Westmoreland 
County.  During  the  War  he  was  chaplain  and  army 
evangelist.  At  the  close  of  the  War  he  visited  Ken- 
tucky to  raise  money  for  the  widows  and  orphans  of 

364 


GEORGE  FRANKLIN  BAGBY     365 

Confederate  soldiers,  and  in  the  fall  of  1866  became 
pastor  of  the  Flemingsbnrg  and  other  churches  in  that 
county,  Kentucky.  At  two  different  periods  in  his  life 
(June,  1870.  to  January,  1872,  and  February,  1878,  to 
January.  1882)  his  home  and  work  were  in  Russell- 
ville.  where  he  was  associated  with  Bethel  College,  a 
part  of  the  time  as  one  of  its  professors.  Between  these 
two  periods  came  six  years  of  blessed  activity  as  the 
pastor  of  Trenton  Church  (Todd  County)  and  of  Salem 
Church  (Christian  County).  After  a  brief  pastorate  at 
East  Hickman  (Fayette  County),  Glens  Creek  and  Mt. 
Vernon  (both  in  Woodford  County)  churches,  in  1885 
he  became  pastor  of  the  Frankfort  Church.  This  was 
probably  the  most  difficult  and  the  most  successful  work 
of  his  life.  He  found  in  this  beautiful  town,  the  capital 
of  the  state,  a  church  with  a  membership  of  about  two 
hundred.  The  meeting-house  was  in  need  of  repairs  and 
the  church  was  burdened  with  debt.  Soon  a  gracious 
revival  came,  the  brethren  took  on  new  hope  and  before 
his  pastorate,  of  some  five  years,  was  ended,  the  member- 
ship was  nearly  doubled  and  the  church  strengthened  in 
every  way.  While  in  Frankfort  he  received  the  degree 
of  D.  D.  from  Columbian  College,  his  alma  mater.  In 
the  fall  of  1890  he  came  back  to  Virginia,  to  become 
pastor  of  the  Farmville  Church.  His  pastorate  here 
lasted  nine  years.  While  on  this  field,  and  on  the  next, 
his  last  charge  (Sharon  and  Pisgah  churches.  Prince 
Edward  County)  Dr.  Bagby  was  useful  in  a  wide  scope 
of  country  in  meetings,  and  by  his  loving  and  enthusiastic 
spirit,  and  a  leader  in  the  Appomattox  Association. 

Dr.  Bagby  was  devoted  to  the  cause  of  missions,  and 
a  thorough-going  Baptist.  At  the  beginning  of  his 
ministry  he  was  accepted  for  work  in  China,  but  was 
prevented  from  going  to  this  field  by  the  War.  Upon 
one  occasion,  in  Farmville,  in  the  home  of  one  of  his 


366         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

members,  he  met  the  rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  In 
the  course  of  a  private  debate,  that  there  took  place,  he 
compelled  the  rector  to  admit  that  Baptists  were  not  as 
strict  as  Episcopalians  in  the  observance  of  the  Lord's 
Supper. 

Dr.  Bagby  and  his  noble  wife  were  most  hospitable 
and  made  their  home  delightful  for  their  guests.  Once, 
however,  the  stranger  did  not  get  in.  Appomattox  and 
Prince  Edward  were  invaded  by  Morman  missionaries. 
One  day  two  of  them  called  at  Dr.  Bagby's.  He  met 
them  at  the  door  and  said  that  his  Bible  would  not  allow 
him  to  invite  them  in,  but  that  if  they  would  kneel  down 
with  him  he  would  be  glad  to  pray  for  them;  the  three 
knelt  and  he  led  in  prayer.  Twice,  once  in  Kentucky 
and  once  in  Virginia,  Dr.  Bagby,  by  quoting  from  his 
New  Testament,  secured  shelter  for  the  night,  when,  as 
a  stranger,  it  seemed  that  he  would  be  refused  lodging 
and  food. 

At  the  home  of  his  son.  Dr.  George  F.  Bagby,  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  after  an  illness  marked  by  great  bodily  suffer- 
ing, he  passed  to  his  reward  on  March  27,  1900.  Just 
before  he  breathed  his  last  he  exclaimed:  "Poor  life, 
great  hope!" 


ANDREW  BROADDUS 

Andrew  Broaddiis,  or,  as  he  was  sometimes  known,  as 
Andrew  Broaddus,  Jr.,  to  distinguish  him  from  his 
father,  was  born  in  Carohne  County,  May  17,  1818.  He 
was  the  son  of  the  distinguished  Dr.  Andrew  Broaddus, 
his  mother  being  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Robert  Honey- 
man,  who  was  by  birth  a  Scotchman  and  an  eminent 
Virginia  physician.  The  Rappahannock  Academy,  Rich- 
mond College,  and  Columbian  University  were  the 
schools  Mr.  Broaddus  attended,  and  on  December  18, 
1838,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Pitts.  In  1843  he 
purchased  "White  Plains,"  near  Sparta,  Virginia,  where 
he  hved  for  fifty-seven  years  and  where  he  died,  April 
19,  1900. 

He  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Salem 
Church.  September  26,  1846,  by  Elder  Robert  D.  Cole. 
Previous  to  this  time  he  had  thought  of  the  law  as  his 
life  work,  but  now  he  decided  to  preach,  and  on  Febru- 
ary 6,  1847,  his  church  licensed  him.  The  following 
October  he  was  ordained,  the  presbytery  consisting  of  his 
father,  Addison  Hall,  Wm.  A.  Baynham,  Richard  Hugh 
Bagby,  and  H.  W.  Montague.  In  the  course  of  his  long 
ministry  the  churches  of  which  he  was  pastor,  all  of  them 
in  the  Rappahannock  Association,  were  Bethesda, 
Carmel,  Mt.  Calvary,  Salem,  and  Upper  King  and 
Queen.  At  Bethesda  he  was  pastor  six  years ;  at  Carmel, 
two ;  at  Mt.  Calvary,  three  or  four ;  at  Upper  King  and 
Queen,  forty-three,  and  at  Salem,  forty-eight.  While 
not  a  chaplain  in  the  army  during  the  Civil  War,  he 
visited  the  soldiers  and  preached  to  them  as  he  had 
opportunity,  and  on  one  occasion  baptized  no  less  than 
sixty-three. 

367 


368         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

Up  to  within  a  few  years  of  his  death  he  attended 
every  session  of  the  Rappahannock  Association,  save  one. 
He  also  attended  the  General  Association  and  Southern 
Baptist  Convention,  taking  part  in  the  discussion  of  these 
bodies  and  being  for  forty  years  a  life  member  of  the 
former.  He  was  also  a  life  member  of  the  American 
Tract  Society,  and  one  of  the  Trustees  of  Richmond 
College.  In  his  later  years  it  was  a  fine  sight  to  see  him 
walk  into  the  meetings  of  the  General  Association 
accompanied  by  his  three  preacher  sons. 

"Physically,"  says  Dr.  Dunaway,  "Andrew  Broaddus 
was  a  fine  specimen  of  his  race.  Until  bowed  and  bent 
with  age  and  suffering,  he  was  erect,  of  graceful  pro- 
portions, with  broad,  square  shoulders  and  a  well- 
developed  chest.  A  sculptor  could  hardly  have  desired 
a  better  head  for  his  model."  While  he  was  especially 
learned  in  what  was  his  especial  line  "yet  he  knew  much 
about  anatomy,  medicine,  law,  science,  art,  philosophy, 
and  politics."  He  was  most  deeply  interested  in  the 
affairs  of  his  county,  his  state  and  country.  "When  any 
important  question  was  agitating  the  people  of  his 
county  and  he  found  it  was  necessary,  he  would  address 
his  fellow-citizens  from  the  hustings."  Dr.  Dunaway 
says  that  "as  a  pastor  Dr.  Broaddus  had  few  equals.  In 
the  pastoral  office  he  was  judicious,  wise,  sympathetic, 
firm,  yet  affectionate.  He  was  a  good  disciplinarian, 
mingling  firmness  with  gentleness  in  the  oversight  of  his 
flocks."  In  speaking  of  Dr.  Broaddus  as  a  preacher, 
Dr.  Dunaway  says :  "He  expressed  his  fresh  and  strik- 
ing thoughts  in  an  earnest,  clear  and  colloquial  way.  He 
addressed  himself  to  the  reason,  rather  than  to  the  feel- 
ings and  fears  of  his  hearers.  .  .  .  He  was  skilled 
in  the  use  of  apt  and  striking  illustrations.  .  .  .  His 
preaching  was  eminently  practical,  sound  and  able." 

In  portraying  the  character  of  Dr.  Broaddus,  Dr. 
Hatcher  says,  in  part :    "To  me,  Dr.  Broaddus  was  one 


ANDREW  BROADDUS  369 

of  the  most  strikingly  unique  and  uncommon  men  I  have 
ever  known.  .  .  .  Dr.  Broaddus  was  siii  generis. 
His  head  was  unHke  other  heads,  his  walk  was  peculiarly 
his  own,  and  his  voice  resembled  no  other.  .  .  .  He 
was  built  on  no  common  pattern,  carried  the  traits  of  no 
recognized  cult,  lit  his  lamp  at  no  neighborhood  fire,  and 
was  an  alien  in  his  own  home.  He  was  the  son  of  an 
eminent,  indeed,  an  illustrious  father;  but,  if  those  who 
have  written  of  his  father  have  faithfully  characterized 
him,  there  was  little  in  the  son  to  suggest  the  father.  He 
had  sons,  three  in  number,  all  ministers  of  the  gospel 
.  .  .  and  all  worthy  of  so  noble  a  father  and  yet 
not  one  who  resembled  him.  .  .  .  On  the  rugged 
road  of  life  he  walked  a  solitary  figure.  .  .  . 
Whether  a  proposition  was  popular  or  offensive  weighed 
little  with  him.  H  there  was  any  issue  he  deliberately 
took  his  place  in  the  contention  and  he  knew  not  the 
meaning  of  fear,  in  asserting  his  convictions.  Not  belch- 
ing cannon  nor  raging  mobs,  nor  martyr  fires  could 
terrify  him.  ...  A  nature  so  transparent  as  this 
was  sure,  at  times,  to  give  offence.  Evil  men  might  fear 
and  respect  Dr.  Broaddus,  but  they  were  not  likely  to 
love  him,  and  even  good  people  who  were  sensitive  or 
suspicious  were  often  startled  by  his  rugged  can- 
dor. .  .  .  He  softened  under  the  hand  of  his 
Master,  and  in  his  last  days  he  was  a  knight  worthy  of 
his  King — modest,  courtly,  and  ever  ready  to  serve.  His 
self-assertion  gradually  shaped  itself  into  a  cheerful  out- 
put of  himself  for  the  honor  of  his  Redeemer.  .  . 
Dr.  Broaddus  was  an  intense  Baptist  in  his  convictions. 
He  sounded  the  depths  of  Baptist  teachings  and  was  well 
posted  on  every  point.  It  was  of  his  very  nature  to  teach 
what  he  believed  and  yet  his  courtesy  was  almost  peer- 
less. He  rarely  ever  gave  others  any  just  cause  for 
complaint  as  to  his  temper  and  tone  in  presenting  his 


370         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

views.  .  .  .  His  commission  to  preach  was  sub- 
stantially a  summons  to  leadership.  For  this  he  was 
fitted  by  the  strength  of  his  convictions,  his  courage  in 
the  face  of  opposition  and  his  spirit  of  progress.  He 
had  an  inborn  love  of  battle  and  ...  a  keen  relish 
for  victory.  ...  He  was  a  Democrat  by  nature  and 
a  Baptist  by  grace  and  this  served  him  in  good  turn  when 
the  vote  went  the  other  way.  .  .  .  While  he  was 
heard  on  larger  platforms  many  times,  the  Rappa- 
hannock Association  was  his  native  heath,  his  own  realm, 
and  there  he  was  by  no  means  easy  to  handle.  .  .  . 
Dr.  Broaddus  had  a  faculty  for  friendship.  .  .  . 
He  was  too  self-respecting  to  be  envious,  too  high- 
minded  to  be  jealous  and  too  affectionate  to  be  sus- 
picious." 


W.  A.  STREET 

W.  A.  Street,  the  son  of  Elder  Z.  Street  and  Ursula 
Lee,  was  born  at  La  Grange,  Middlesex  County,  May 
4,  1835.  His  father  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  the 
pastor  of  the  Glebe  Landing  Baptist  Church,  and  his 
mother  w-as  a  woman  of  "strong  intellect."  A  sketch  of 
Elder  Z.  Street  may  be  found  in  the  "Second  Series." 
The  son's  education  was  interrupted  by  his  father's  death 
and  he  took  charge  of  the  farm  and  slaves  and  the 
family.  In  January  1861  he  was  married  to  Miss  F. 
Augusta  Hundley  (sister  of  Rev.  J.  W.  Hundley),  but 
he  soon  left  his  bride  to  answer  his  country's  call  to  arms. 
In  the  army  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain;  but,  alas, 
forsook  the  profession  of  religion  made  when  he  was 
only  eleven  years  old  and  became  worldly  and  intemper- 
ate. Eventually  he  left  his  evil  ways  and  reconsecrated 
his  Hfe  to  God.  His  decision  to  study  law  was 
abandoned  and  in  1872  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  At 
his  ordination  W.  H.  Kirk,  John  W.  Ryland  and  W.  W. 
Wood  were  the  presbytery.  Before  this  event  he  had 
attended  Crozer  Seminary.  By  far  the  larger  part  of  his 
ministry  was  spent  in  the  Rappahannock  Association, 
where  he  serv^ed  these  churches :  Glebe  Landing,  Lower 
King  and  Queen,  Corotoman,  Lebanon,  Providence 
(Northumberland),  Norwood.  While  his  ministry 
began  and  ended  in  the  Rappahannock,  he  gave  a  few 
years  to  the  Accomac  Association,  serving  there  Bethel, 
Lee  Mont,  and  Zion  churches.  So  great  was  the 
affection  of  his  churches  for  him  that  not  long  before  his 
death  they  called  him  for  life.  "He  had  the  faculty  of 
making  and  retaining  warm  friendships."  His  second 
wife  was  Miss  Mary  A.  Sadler,  who,  with  three  children, 
survived  him.    He  died  April  19,  1900. 

371 


A.  F.  DAVIDSON 

For  almost  half  a  century  Rev.  A.  F.  Davidson  labored 
in  the  Concord  Association,  being  for  about  forty  years 
of  this  period  an  active  pastor.  For  thirty-seven  con- 
secutive years  he  was  pastor  of  the  Liberty  Church, 
Mecklenburg  County.  The  other  churches  that  he  served 
were:  Buffalo,  Ephesus,  Mt.  Horeb,  Olivet.  Boydton, 
New  Hope,  Ebenezer  and  Clarksville.  He  was  a  leader 
in  the  Concord  Association.  'Tn  him  were  beautifully 
blended  clearness  of  judgment,  firmness  of  purpose  and 
gentleness  of  spirit."  He  was  married  twice  and  left  one 
daughter.  He  died  Saturday,  July  21,  1900,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 


W.  R.  D.  MONCURE 

When  he  had  just  passed  his  sixty- fourth  birthday 
Rev.  W.  R.  D.  Moncure,  on  Friday,  November  2,  1900, 
passed  away.  His  death  took  place  at  the  Virginia 
Hospital,  Richmond,  where  he  had  undergone  an  opera- 
tion that  it  had  been  hoped  would  save  his  life.  His 
wife  and  eight  children  survived  him.  His  longest  pas- 
torate, which  lasted  thirteen  years,  was  at  Bruington 
Church,  Rappahannock  Association.  His  other  churches 
in  this  Association  were  Mt.  Zion  and  Upper  Essex.  He 
held  one  pastorate  in  the  Appomattox  Association, 
namely,  Sharon  and  Fisgah,  and  the  last  work  of  his  life 
was  at  Leetown,  West  Virginia,  where  he  remained  five 
years.  "He  was  an  able  and  instructive  preacher  and 
his  personal  influence,  while  gentle,  was  mighty."  He 
did  his  work  "with  such  conscientious  and  careful  devo- 
tion that  to  some  thoughtless  persons  he  seemed  eccen- 
tric." 

372 


RICHARD  EDWARD  BOOKER 

Richard  Edward  Booker,  the  fourth  child  of  Richard 
Booker  and  Salhe  Carter  Love,  was  born  at  "Grampion 
Hills."  Prince  Edward  County,  Virginia,  October  15, 
1825.  He  studied  one  session  at  Hampden-Sidney 
College,  but  even  to  his  last  days  with  pride  and  pleasure 
he  spoke  of  Richmond  College,  where  he  was  a  student 
for  three  years,  as  his  alma  mater.  After  his  ordination, 
which  took  place  at  Red  House,  Charlotte  County, 
November  13,  1852,  Samuel  Davidson,  Ehjah  W. 
Roach,  John  C.  Hamner  and  William  Tyree  constituting 
the  presbytery,  Mr.  Booker  labored  for  three  years  as  a 
missionary  and  then  became  a  pastor,  which  office  he 
filled  for  various  churches  until  a  short  time  before  his 
death.  His  ministry  began  in  Buckingham  County  and 
was  closed  on  Staunton  River,  the  southern  boundary  of 
Campbell  County.  In  this  territory  he  was  pastor  of  Red 
Oak,  Hebron,  Mt.  Vernon,  Ebenezer,  Brookneal,  and 
Midway.  Several  of  these  churches  he  served  more  than 
once,  and  one  of  them,  Ebenezer,  for  about  thirty-six 
years. 

Mr.  Booker  was  married  twice:  on  June  21,  1853,  to 
Miss  Gilliam;  on  June  4,  1873,  to  Miss  L.  O.  Patterson. 
His  first  wife  died  February  24,  1870,  leaving  five 
children.  His  second  wife,  three  children  born  of  this 
marriage  and  four  of  the  first  survived  him. 

In  his  cottage  home  (near  Naruna,  Campbell  County, 
Virginia),  which  was  embowered  in  flowers  and  hard  by 
the  church,  this  father  in  Israel,  his  hoary  head  a  crown 
of  honor,  passed  his  last  years,  breaking  the  bread  of  life 
to  his  flock,  extending  to  his  brethren  in  the  ministry 
and  to  others  a  genial  hospitality,  loving  to  talk  to  all  of 
the  things  of  God.  He  fell  on  sleep  July  5,  1900,  and 
was  buried,  according  to  his  request,  just  in  the  rear  of 
the  I'^benezer  Meeting-House  (which  had  been  erected 
under  his  leadership)  whose  pulpit  he  had  so  faithfully 
filled  so  many  years.  The  funeral  services  were  con- 
ducted by  Rev.  C.  A.  Woodson  and  Rev.  John  B.  Wil- 
liams. The  minutes  of  the  Appomattox  Association  for 
1900  contains  an  excellent  picture  of  Brother  Booker. 

373 


T.  N.  SANDERSON 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  BUie  Ridge  Association 
at  Mayo  Church,  Henry  County,  in  1858,  the  opening 
sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  T.  N.  Sanderson,  on  the 
text:  "My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,"  Jno.  18:36. 
At  that  time  his  home  was  at  Hale's  Ford,  Franklin 
County.  He  was  born  May  4,  1819,  and  was  a  fellow- 
worker  in  the  ministry  with  Elder  D.  G.  Taylor.  He 
was  ordained  August  17,  1855.  Sanderson  was  two 
years  older  than  Taylor,  but  Taylor  entered  the 
ministry  two  years  ahead  of  Sanderson.  They  were 
often  at  each  other's  home.  Elder  Sanderson's  visits 
to  his  friend  left  a  distinct  impression  on  at  least 
one  of  Elder  Taylor's  sons.  This  son,  Rev.  J.  J. 
Taylor,  says  of  "Brother  Sanderson" :  "His  piety  was  not 
of  the  lugubrious  type,  and  he  was  not  a  terror  to  youth ; 
on  the  contrary,  he  had  a  bountiful  fund -of  humor,  a 
large  stock  of  funny  yarns,  a  talent  for  mimicry,  and 
could  easily  set  the  most  stolid  and  solemn  company 
asmile.  But  he  knew  the  times  and  seasons  and  never 
forgot  that  he  was  a  messenger  of  the  King.  .  .  . 
'Brother  Sanderson,'  as  the  children  affectionately  called 
him,  understood  vocal  music  and  sang  pretty  well.  He 
had  evangelistic  gifts  and  held  several  meetings  at  Mayo. 
The  one  best  remembered  was  in  1869.  On  that  occa- 
sion he  had  with  him  his  eldest  daughter,  who  was  also 
a  good  singer,  and  the  two  singing  together  created 
something  of  a  sensation,  and  started  the  community  on 
a  new  era  of  song.  The  meeting  was  well  attended,  and 
among  the  converts  was  my  older  brother,  S.  F.  Taylor, 
now  President  of  Stephens  College,  Columbia,  Mo. 
One  of  the  sermons  preached  in  this  meeting,  which 
received  special  commendation,  was  based  on  the  words : 

374 


T.  N.  SANDERSON  375 

'Whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother  and  sister  and  mother.' 
Incidentally,  he  paid  a  tribute  to  his  own  mother."  He 
was  pastor  of  the  Beaver  Dam,  Shady  Grove,  New  Hope, 
Morgan's  Bend,  Liberty  (now  Bedford  City),  Glade 
Hill,  Rocky  Mount,  Flint  Hill,  and  Fairmont  churches. 
Upon  leaving  Virginia  he  settled  first  in  Clarksville,  Mo., 
and  later  at  La  Grange,  Mo.  In  this  latter  place 
his  fourteen  children  enjoyed  superior  educational 
advantages.  He  was  married  twice;  his  first  wife  was 
Miss  Martha  Jane  Crews,  and  his  second  Miss  Mary 
Jane  Drummond.  In  Missouri  he  was  pastor  of  a  number 
of  churches.  He  died  at  Edgewood,  Mo.,  where  his  last 
days  were  spent,  on  December  18,  1900,  at  which  time 
he  had  fifty -two  grandchildren.  One  of  his  sons  is  a 
minister,  Rev.  E.  J.  Sanderson. 

HENRY  GRADY  FERGUSON 

Henry  Grady  Ferguson,  who  was  a  Virginia  pastor 
for  ten  years,  was  born  in  Greenville,  S.  C,  and  died  in 
Midway,  Ky.,  on  Christmas  day,  1900.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  Furman  University  and  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  Upon  the  completion  of 
his  studies  at  the  Seminary  he  became  pastor  of  the  Bap- 
tist church  in  Waynesboro,  Virginia.  During  his  ten 
years  here,  "a  beautiful,  commodious,  modern  church 
building  in  an  attractive  part  of  the  town"  took  the  place 
of  "a  small,  dingy  house  on  an  obscure  back  street."  In 
1898  the  Waynesboro  church,  during  the  Spanish- 
American  W^ar,  granted  him  a  leave  of  absence  that  he 
might  serve  as  Chaplain  of  the  Third  Regiment  of  Vir- 
ginia Volunteers.  His  death  came  suddenly,  after  an  ill- 
ness of  only  a  few  days.  Rev.  M.  L.  Wood  says  of  him : 
"As  a  man,  he  was  pure  and  chaste  in  thought  and  life. 


376         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

As  a  friend,  he  was  sincere,  open-hearted  and  true.  As  a 
preacher,  he  was  bibHcal,  thoughtful,  logical,  earnest." 
In  a  notice  of  his  death  in  the  Religious  Herald  were 
these  words :  "He  was  one  of  the  most  modest  men, 
and  just  as  good  and  true  as  he  was  modest." 


RICHARD  ANDREW  FOX 

Elders  W.  E.  Wiatt  and  Richard  Andrew  Fox  had 
a  compact  that  the  funeral  of  the  one  dying  first  should 
be  preached  by  the  other.  This  duty  Mr.  Wiatt  ful- 
filled, his  text  being:  Eph.  2:8,  "By  grace  are  ye 
saved,  etc.,"  this  being  a  favorite  verse  with  the  deceased. 
Mr.  Wiatt,  in  an  obituary  in  the  General  Association 
Minutes,  gives  the  facts  that  follow :  "Richard  Andrew 
Fox  was  born  June  1,  1824.  His  three  brothers  were 
all  preachers.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Beulah 
Church,  King  William  County,  August  5,  1854.  The 
same  church  called  for  his  ordination,  December  30, 
1855.  The  presbytery  consisted  of  Elders  John  O.  Tur- 
pin  and  J.  R.  Garlick.  Prior  to  the  War  he  was  pastor 
of  Beulah,  Mt.  Horeb,  and  Concord.  After  the  War 
he  moved  to  Gloucester  and  Mathews,  and  was  pastor  of 
Beulah,  Ebenezer,  and  Spring  Hill.  At  Richmond  Col- 
lege among  his  fellow-students  were  John  E.  Massey, 
A.  F.  Scott,  and  J.  G.  Councill.  For  more  than  thirty 
years  his  health  was  poor,  but  he  continued  to  labor. 
He  died  at  his  home  in  Mathews  County,  October  22, 
1901.  His  married  life  lasted  over  fifty  years,  his  wife 
having  been  Miss  Margaret  A.  Smith  of  Rappahannock 
County.  As  a  preacher,  he  was  sound  and  clear.  He 
was  careful  in  the  preparation  of  his  sermons.  He  was 
of  lovely  and  lovable  character." 


HENRY  HARTSTEIN  WYER 

Henry  Hartstein  Wyer  was  born  in  South  Carolina 
July  26,  1829.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Henry  Otis 
Wyer,  a  Bostonian  by  birth,  but  who,  in  his  day,  stood 
among  the  most  efficient  and  eloquent  ministers  of  our 
Southland.  Hundreds  were  converted  under  his  minis- 
try. Some  were  led  by  him  to  Christ  who  became 
princes  in  the  American  pulpit,  such  as  Dr.  Richard 
Fuller,  of  Baltimore,  and  Dr.  DeVotee,  of  Georgia. 

"He  was  the  nephew  of  Captain  Hartstein  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  the  celebrated  Arctic  explorer,  who 
went  in  search  of  Dr.  Kane,  found  the  deserted  vessel, 
from  which  "life  and  thought  had  gone  away,"  brought 
it  back  to  America,  and  was  commissioned  by  the  United 
States  government  to  carry  it  to  England,  which  he  did, 
receiving  marked  favor  and  distinction  from  Queen 
Victoria." 

He  was  graduated  at  Columbian  College,  D.  C,  and 
received  his  theological  education  at  Princeton.  He  was 
one  of  that  noble  company  of  students  who  near  the  same 
time  entered  the  ministry.  Some  fell  at  the  threshold, 
others  later  on.  Among  his  early  friends  were  Rev.  Mr. 
Jennette,  a  most  eloquent  minister,  who  died  early  in 
life  as  the  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Augusta, 
Ga. ;  Rev.  F.  M.  Barker,  a  consecrated  Christian  and 
noble  preacher;  Dr.  J.  W.  M.  Williams,  who  was  pastor 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Baltimore  for  forty-odd 
years,  and  who  died  in  that  pastorate,  and  Rev.  S.  C. 
Boston,  who  ended  his  ministry  in  Pocomoke  City. 

He  was  married  to  Ann  Eliza  Powell  at  Leavenworth, 
Loudoun  County,  Va.,  September  26,  1855,  by  Rev. 
Henry  Dodge.     Dr.  Wyer  was  a  great  sufferer  for  years 

377 


378         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

from  facial  neuralgia  that  so  undemiined  his  Constitu- 
tion that  he  fell  an  easy  prey  to  grippe  that  finally  caused 
his  death.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Warrenton  on  Febru- 
ary 10,  1901.  His  wife  survived  him  five  years  and  died 
January  29,  1905.  There  were  five  children  by  this 
union. 

In  1854  Dr.  Wyer  began  his  active  ministry  as  pastor 
of  the  Upperville  and  Ebenezer  churches,  Fauquier 
County.  In  1856  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Lynchburg,  which  continued 
over  two  years.  While  in  Lynchburg  he  baptized 
Colonel  J.  T.  Merfee,  late  president  of  Howard  College, 
Alabama ;  also  Rev.  P.  H.  Murry,  who  became  a  very 
useful  minister  in  the  West. 

During  the  War  Brother  Wyer  served  as  pastor  of 
Liberty,  Perkins,  and  Lickinghole  churches  in  Goochland 
County,  Oakland  and  Hopeful  churches  in  Louisa 
County.  In  a  meeting  at  Hopeful  in  1865,  Rev.  W.  E. 
Lindsay,  D.  D.,  for  years  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church 
in  Columbia,  S.  C,  was  converted  and  baptized  by  him. 

In  1866  he  became  the  principal  of  the  Fauquier  Fe- 
male Institute  and  the  pastor  of  the  Warrenton  Baptist 
Church.  The  close  of  the  War  left  this  church  in  a  most 
feeble  condition.  Some  of  its  membership  had  fallen  in 
battle,  some  had  died,  others  had  removed,  and  those 
remaining  had  been  impoverished.  In  1865,  the  little 
band  organized  for  church  work.  The  church  building, 
which  the  War  caught  unfinished,  was  untenantable 
except  in  the  basement.  For  nearly  two  years  the  con- 
gregation depended  for  preaching  on  visitors  and  such 
local  ministers  as  had  unemployed  Sabbaths. 

Dr.  Wyer  at  once  took  fimi  hold  of  the  work,  gathered 
the  scattered  hosts,  and  so  taught,  like  Nehemiah,  from 
the  Divine  Law,  that  they  went  at  once  to  work  rebuild- 
ing the  broken  walls  of  Zion.    During  Dr.  Wyer's  pastor- 


HENRY  HARTSTEIN  WYER  379 

ate  the  church  building  was  finished  and  the  main  audi- 
ence room  occupied.  The  field  was  mission  ground  and 
was  receiving  help  from  the  Home  Mission  Board  to  the 
extent  of  half  the  pastor's  salary. 

In  September  of  1867,  Dr.  Wyer  secured  the  aid  of 
Rev.  W.  E.  Hatcher,  then  pastor  of  the  Franklin  Square 
Baptist  Church  in  Baltimore,  for  special  services.  This 
meeting,  which  was  carried  on  for  three  weeks  in  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  subsequently  taken  up  by  the  other 
churches  of  the  town,  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
religious  movements  known  to  this  section.  There  were 
few  thoughtful  people  of  the  community  unmoved  by 
its  influence.  There  were  thirty-three  accessions  to  the 
Baptist  Church  as  the  result  of  this  meeting,  and  more 
than  that  number  joined  other  churches. 

In  October,  1868,  in  another  series  of  meetings,  the 
preaching  was  done  by  Dr.  Cornelius  Tyree.  At  this 
meeting  eighteen  members  were  added,  and  there  was 
also  a  general  spiritual  refreshment  for  the  community. 
During  all  of  Dr.  Wyer's  pastorate  there  were  gradual 
accessions  to  the  church.  At  the  end  of  four  years  of 
service.  Dr.  Wyer  announced,  on  account  of  delicate 
health,  his  inability  to  serve  them  longer.  His  resigna- 
tion was  reluctantly  accepted.  His  last  pastorates  were 
Carter's  Run  and  New  Baltimore  Baptist  churches. 

"Dr.  Wyer  was  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a  gentle- 
man. Every  instinct,  every  feeling,  was  characteristic 
of  the  refined  Christian  gentleman.  In  him  were  united 
the  best  elements  of  Northern  and  Southern  blood,  and 
his  whole  appearance  and  deportment  betokened  from 
whence  he  had  sprung." 

F.  R.  Boston. 


JOEL  W.  MEADORS 

On  September  1,  1813,  Joel  W.  Meadors  was  born  in 
Pittsylvania  County,  Virginia.  He  was  ordained  to  the 
gospel  ministry  at  Providence  Church,  Franklin  County, 
September  13,  1856,  the  presbytery  consisting  of  Elders 
T.  C.  Goggin,  Wm.  Hawkins,  Pleasant  Brown,  and 
David  Staley.  He  spent  the  larger  part  of  his  long 
ministry  in  Franklin,  Floyd,  and  Patrick  counties.  At 
the  residence  of  his  son,  Joseph  Meadors,  West  Virginia, 
his  death  took  place,  March  21,  1901. 


JOHN  E.  MASSEY 

John  E.  Massey  was  born  in  Spottsylvania  County, 
Virginia,  April  2,  1819.  The  earliest  thing  he  re- 
membered was  the  funeral  of  Reuben  Massey,  his  grand- 
father, to  which  function  he  was  carried  in  the  amis  of 
his  nurse.  His  paternal  grandmother  was  a  Miss  Mary 
Carter,  an  Episcopalian  of  the  strictest  sort.  When  his 
brother,  Joseph  T.  Massey,  became  a  Baptist  preacher, 
she  modified  her  views  enough  to  hear  him  preach. 
Benjamin  Massey  and  his  wife  (nee  Elizabeth  Chewn- 
ing),  the  parents  of  John  and  six  other  children, 
were  members,  for  many  years,  of  the  Mine  Road  Baptist 
Church,  he  being,  for  a  long  period,  its  clerk.  They  were 
neither  rich  nor  poor,  and  they  both  lived  to  a  good  old 
age,  he  to  four  score  and  eight  years. 

From  a  very  tender  age  John  wished  to  be  a  Christian. 
When  quite  a  small  child,  his  father,  upon  coming  to 
bed,  found  him  weeping.  He  could  not  tell  his  father 
what  the  trouble  was,  but  asked  him  to  pray  for  him. 
The  child  wanted  "to  be  a  Christian,"  though  he  did  not 

380 


JOHN  E.  MASSEY  381 

understand  fully  what  this  expression  meant.  The 
servants  had  alamied  him  with  their  descriptions  of  the 
lost,  and  had  directed  him  to  be  good  and  keep  on  pray- 
ing. They  led  him  to  think  that  when  he  saw  Jesus  in 
the  sky  he  would  be  converted.  So  the  boy  often  ex- 
claimed :  "Oh,  when  shall  I  see  Jesus  !"  His  brother,  also, 
was  a  "seeker."  John  became  quite  satisfied  with  his 
own  progress,  but  was  much  concerned  about  his  brother's 
spiritual  welfare.  This  spirit  of  self-complacency  con- 
tinued until  his  brother  said  to  him  one  night :  "I  believe 
I  could  be  a  Christian  if  it  were  not  for  you."  This 
remark  made  John  realize,  as  never  before,  his  sinfulness, 
and  led  to  his  conversion.  Three  brothers,  Samuel, 
Benjamin,  and  John,  were  baptized  September  15,  1832, 
by  Elder  Jacob  W.  Herndon,  and  united  with  the  Good 
Hope  Baptist  Church,  Spottsylvania  County. 

Though  so  young,  John  now  felt  that  he  ought  to  sit 
in  the  "amen"  corner  of  the  church  with  the  brethren, 
even  though  a  leading  sister  did  tell  him  the  gallery  was 
the  place  for  boys.  Soon  he  began  to  speak.  During  a 
four  days'  meeting  in  a  grove  at  Mount  Hermon,  he 
made  an  exhortation,  standing,  since  he  was  so  small,  on 
a  bench.  Soon  afterwards,  at  Antioch  Church  in  Orange 
County,  after  the  sermon  and  exhortation,  in  response 
to  the  pastor's  appeal :  "My  little  brother,  can't  you  talk 
to  the  people?"  he  spoke;  the  whole  congregation  v/as 
moved ;  men  and  women  crowded  around  the  pulpit,  and, 
falling  upon  their  knees,  cried:  "Pray  for  me!  Pray 
for  me !" 

He  went  regularly  to  Sunday-school  and  the  "old- 
field"  school  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  At  the 
former  many  verses  of  Scripture  were  stored  away  in 
the  mind.  At  the  latter  the  chief  text-books  were  the 
New  York  Speller,  Pike's  Arithmetic,  and  Murray's 
Grammar,    while    the    "rod"    held    an    important    place. 


382         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

During  these  school  days,  on  November  7,  1833,  the 
greatest  meteoric  display  of  the  19th  century  took  place. 
From  before  midnight  until  after  daybreak  the  magnifi- 
cent spectacle  of  the  "falling  stars"  continued.  The 
terror  among  the  masses  of  the  people  was  great.  The 
negroes  ran  for  protection  to  their  masters. 

In  1836  young  Massey  entered  the  Virginia  Baptist 
Seminary,  now  Richmond  College.  Most  of  the  distance 
of  sixty  miles  to  Richmond  he  walked,  carrying  his 
belongings  in  a  pillow-case  swung  over  his  shoulder.  At 
the  Christmas  holiday  he  started  the  homeward  trip  in 
a  wagon  that  was  to  go  within  10  miles  of  his  father's 
home.  High  water  soon  made  a  bridge  unsafe  for  the 
wagon,  so  he  crossed  it  and  continued  his  journey  on 
foot.  Overtaken  by  night,  hungry  and  tired,  he  asked 
for  lodging  at  an  humble  home.  The  woman  said  she 
had  neither  food  nor  bed  to  offer  him.  However,  she 
allowed  him  to  sleep  on  a  pallet  before  the  fire.  During 
the  night  he  used  the  wood  freely,  keeping  up  a  good 
fire,  until  the  woman  raised  up  in  bed  and  told  him  not 
to  burn  any  more  of  the  wood  as  she  wanted  it  in  the 
morning.  He  promised  to  get  her  some  more,  and  the 
next  morning  kept  his  promise,  though  it  necessitated 
going  a  long  way  to  the  woods  and  cutting  a  young 
sapling  with  a  very  dull  axe. 

When  eighteen  years  old  he  joined  a  large  volunteer 
military  company,  and  was  soon  made  captain.  A 
furniture  dealer  in  Richmond  addressed  him  as 
"Colonel,"  only  to  be  told:  "General,  if  you  please,  and 
no  little  brigadier  at  that,  but  full  general."  When  the 
man  apologized,  he  said :  "I  am  neither  general  nor 
colonel,  and  if  you  are  going  to  give  me  a  title  that  does 
not  belong  to  me,  give  me  one  worth  having."  After 
his  college  days  he  studied  law  under  Starke  W.  Morris, 
Esq.,   at  Louisa  Court  House.     At  the  same  time  he 


JOHN  E.  MASSEY  383 

worked  in  his  father's  shop  making  spinning  wheels  and 
chairs.  By  hauling  these  articles  in  a  horse  cart  to 
Louisa  and  Spottsylvania  Court  Houses  on  court  days 
and  selling  them,  he  paid  for  his  law  books  and  instruc- 
tion. In  1843  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law  by  Judges 
Richard  H.  Fields,  John  B.  Clopton,  and  Peter  N. 
Nichols. 

Upon  going  to  Loudoun  County  to  practice  law,  he 
united  with  the  Ketocton  Church,  of  which  his  brother, 
Joseph  T.  Massey,  was  pastor.  More  than  once  he  was 
called  on.  at  Ketocton,  Mount  Zion,  and  North  Fork,  in 
the  absence  of  the  regular  pastor,  to  speak.  While  teach- 
ing school  at  Kabletown.  Jefferson  County  (now  in  West 
Virginia),  he  decided  to  enter  the  ministry.  After  being 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Ketocton  Church,  November 
22,  1844.  and  after  declining  several  calls  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, having  been  ordained  January  15,  1845  (the 
presbytery  consisting  of  Elders  T.  D.  Herndon,  Joseph 
T.  Massey,  Thaddeus  Herndon,  and  John  S.  Reynold- 
son),  he  undertook  work  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  In 
this  section  there  were  very  few  Baptists.  From 
Martinsburg,  Berkeley  County,  to  the  edge  of  Augusta 
County,  a  distance  of  120  miles,  he  preached,  in 
churches,  schoolhouses,  private  houses,  groves,  and  once 
in  the  upper  story  of  a  distillery.  Through  the  influence 
of  Dr.  Robert  Ryland,  who  had  visited  this  section  and 
seen  him  at  work,  for  the  rest  of  his  life  in  the  Valley, 
he  was  a  missionary  of  the  Virginia  Baptist  General 
Association.  He  was  the  only  Baptist  preacher  between 
Winchester  and  Lexington,  and  what  with  the  anti- 
missionary  Baptists  on  one  side  and  the  P?edobaptists  on 
the  other,  his  road  was  not  an  easy  one ;  it  was  the  day 
of  bitter  denominational  enmity.  After  his  marriage, 
August  30,  1847,  to  Miss  Margaret  Ann  Kable,  Harris- 
onburg was  his  home  until  1854,  when  he  accepted  a  call 
to  Mount  Ed  in  Albemarle,  and  Adiel  in  Nelson. 


384         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

In  1862,  his  health  failing,  Mr.  Massey,  giving  up  the 
pastorate,  purchased  "Ash  Lawn,"  in  Albemarle,  that 
once  had  been  the  residence  of  President  Monroe,  and 
this  was  for  the  rest  of  his  life  his  home.  During  the 
War  he  raised  all  the  grain  and  provender  he  could  for 
the  army  and  loaned  money  to  the  Confederate  Govern- 
ment. In  the  summer  of  1863  the  First  North  Carolina 
Regiment  and  the  Georgia  Tenth  Legion  encamped  on 
the  "Ash  Lawn"  farm  to  recruit  their  horses,  and  Mr. 
Massey,  having  had  a  stand  erected,  preached  to  them 
a  number  of  times. 

The  Reconstruction  Period,  in  some  respects  more  try- 
ing than  the  years  of  the  War,  was  followed  by  a  number 
of  years  when  Virginia  was  agitated  from  one  end  to  the 
other  over  the  question  of  the  State  Debt.  There  were 
two  parties,  the  "Funder"  and  the  "Readjuster,"  both 
composed,  in  the  main,  of  Democrats.  The  "Funders" 
proposed  to  pay  the  debt,  except  so  much  as  was  deemed 
an  obligation  of  the  state  (West  Virginia)  carved  out 
of  Virginia.  The  "Readjusters"  advocated  a  forcible 
compromise  of  the  debt  without  consultation  with  the 
bondholders.  Mr.  Massey  was  probably  the  most  promi- 
nent leader  in  the  "Readjuster"  ranks.  He  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature,  the  Senate,  to  the  office  of  Auditor, 
and  was  a  candidate  for  governor  in  the  Convention 
which  nominated  Wm.  E.  Cameron,  who  was  elected. 
Mr.  Massey  stumped  the  State.  The  Campaign  of  1879 
was  one  of  the  most  exciting  in  the  history  of  the  State. 
In  this  Campaign  Mr.  Massey  crossed  swords  with  such 
able  speakers  as  John  W.  Daniel,  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  James 
A.  Walker,  Ham  Shepperd,  and  John  Goode.  The 
people  did  not  at  first  realize  how  able  a  debater  Mr. 
Massey  was.  Crowds  that  gathered  expecting  to  see 
"Parson  Massey,"  as  he  was  called,  utterly  discomfited, 
realized  that  not  Mr.  Massey,  but  rather  his  opponents, 


JOHN  E.  MASSEY  385 

needed  their  pity.  He  wielded  a  keen  Damascus  blade. 
His  sarcasm  burnt  and  scorched.  His  wit  was  quick  and 
his  humor  was  irresistible.  In  argument  he  was  logical 
and  clear.  His  voice  was  strong  and  with  good  range. 
In  repartee  he  was  most  ready.  Those  who  did  not 
agree  with  his  contentions  had  to  admit  his  power.  It 
is  to  be  questioned  if  Virginia  has  produced  since  Revo- 
lutionary days  a  debater  superior  to  John  E.  Massey. 

The  Readjuster  Party  held  sway  in  Virginia  for  some 
years,  but  never  succeeded  in  its  desired  compromise  of 
the  State  Debt.  Gradually  the  party  under  the  potent 
leadership  of  Wm.  Mahone  joined  forces  with  the  Re- 
publicans. At  this  point  Mr.  Massey  broke  from  their 
ranks  and  cast  his  influence  henceforth  with  the  regular 
Democratic  Party.  In  this  relationship  he  was  a  candi- 
date in  the  Convention  for  governor,  and  this  nomination 
having  gone  to  General  Fitzhugh  Lee,  Mr.  Massey  was 
placed  on  the  ticket  as  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  was, 
along  with  the  other  nominees,  elected.  Later  he  became 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for  tlie  State.  The 
duties  of  these  high  and  important  offices  he  discharged 
with  fidelity  and  ability.  Just  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  April  24,  1901,  at  his  home,  "Ash  Lawn,"  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention.  He 
was  buried  in  the  Oak  Hill  Cemetery,  Charlottesville,  the 
funeral  services  having  been  held  at  the  First  Baptist 
Church. 


ALSON  THOMAS 

Alson  Thomas  died  at  his  home,  near  Oakville,  Appo- 
mattox County,  Virginia,  in  the  85th  year  of  his  age, 
Monday,  April  22.  1901.  He  miited  with  Shiloh 
Church,  Nelson  County,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of 
age,  and  when  twenty-eight  years  old  began  to  preach. 
He  was  ordained  at  Mount  Moriah  Church,  Amherst 
County.  He  was  pastor,  first  and  last,  of  the  following 
churches:  Piney  River,  Prospect,  Red  Oak  (Appo- 
mattox), Mount  Hope,  and  Chestnut  Grove.  He 
preached  no  little  in  meetings  and  at  other  times  through- 
out Appomattox  and  Campbell  counties.  He  was 
married  twice,  his  jfirst  wife  being  Miss  Mary  Martin,  of 
Albemarle  County,  and  his  second  wife,  who  survived 
him  with  eight  children,  was  Miss  Virginia  C.  White- 
head, of  Amherst  County.  For  some  years  before  his 
death  he  had  not  been  able  to  preach.  His  last  sermon 
was  at  a  schoolhouse  near  his  home.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  a  member  of  Red  Oak  Baptist  Church.  He 
was  buried  at  his  home. 


386 


WILLIAM  DANDRIDGE  THOMAS 

William  Dandridge  Thomas,  the  only  son  of  James 
Thomas,  Jr.,  and  Mary  Cornick  Puller  Thomas,  was 
born  October  15,  1833,  at  "Mill  Farm,"  the  home  of  his 
maternal  grandmother,  in  Caroline  County,  Virginia. 
\Mien  he  was  only  three  years  old  his  mother  died, 
whereupon,  he  and  his  sister  Ella,  only  three  months  old, 
were  sent  to  the  home  of  his  uncle,  Archibald  Thomas, 
who  had  married  his  mother's  aunt.  The  second  wife 
of  Mr.  James  Thomas,  Jr.,  who  was  Miss  Mary  Wool- 
folk  Wortham,  proved  a  mother,  indeed,  to  her  stepson. 
"She  gave  herself  with  such  whole-hearted  devotion  to 
his  nurture  and  training  that  he  always  entertained  for 
her  the  affection  and  veneration  due  to  a  mother."  As 
a  man  he  was  wont  to  say  that  while  he  had  had  Latin 
at  school  and  Latin  at  college,  his  "mother"  had  taught 
him  more  Latin  than  any  one  else.  He  "must  have  been 
wisely  handled  in  his  childhood.  His  well-poised  life 
testified  to  that  fact.  To  the  end  of  his  days  he  was  the 
embodiment  of  reverence.  He  had  an  innate  respect  for 
law,  and  was  an  ardent  believer  in  goodness  and  truth. 
He  grew^  up  in  a  city,  and  city  boys  are  often  precocious 
in  evil  and  wanting  in  respect  for  authority  and  truth. 
He  was  an  only  son,  and  to  most  boys  that  brings  serious 
peril.  He  lived  in  a  home  which  abounded  in  plenty  and 
knew  no  lack,  and  many  of  those  who  have  all  they  w-ant 
in  youth,  make  haste  to  forget  God.  All  gates  opened 
to  him ;  but,  with  the  broad  gate  in  full  view,  he  took 
the  narrow  path  that  led  to  eternal  life."  He  attended 
several  Richmond  schools,  one  being  taught  by  Mr. 
Pinckney  Burrus  and  another  by  Mr.  Martin  Sumner. 
A  book,  which  he  w^on  as  a  prize  at  this  last  school,  is  still 
to  be  seen.     In  1846  there  was  a  protracted  meeting  of 

387 


388         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

great  power  at  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Richmond. 
Dr.  J.  B.  Jeter,  the  pastor,  was  assisted  by  Dr.  Richard 
Fuller.  During  this  meeting  young  Thomas  made  a  pro- 
fession of  his  faith  in  Christ,  and  was  baptized  (Dr.  Jeter 
for  some  reason  being  absent)  by  Dr.  Fuller. 

From  the  Richmond  schools  he  passed  to  Richmond 
College.  Among  the  teachers  in  the  College  at  this  period 
were  Thomas  Boiling  Robertson,  John  Lawson,  Lewis 
Turner,  John  M.  Murray,  S.  E.  Brownell,  N.  H.  Massie, 
T.  L.  Snead,  and  Arthur  Frise.  Dr.  Robert  Ryland  was 
the  president,  and  in  1850  B.  Puryear  became  professor 
of  Natural  Sciences.  In  1851  the  College  sent  forth  to 
the  world  its  third  graduating  class,  consisting  of  W.  S. 
Bland,  M.  B.  Howell,  Geo.  Wm.  Keesee,  G.  B.  Taylor, 
Wm.  D.  Thomas — Thomas  being  at  his  last  birthday 
seventeen;  the  subject  of  his  graduating  essay  was: 
"The  Relations  of  Animal  and  Vegetable  Life."  From 
Richmond  College  Mr.  Thomas  went  to  the  University 
of  Virginia.  Here  his  progress  was  retarded  by  reason 
of  serious  trouble  with  his  eyes.  A  cataract  formed  on 
one  eye  and  then  he  discovered  for  the  first  time  that  the 
other  eye  was  of  little  value.  He  was  obliged  to  drop 
some  of  his  classes,  to  have  some  one  read  his  lessons  to 
him,  and  to  add  a  year  to  his  University  life.  As  the 
representative  of  the  Washington  Literary  Society,  he 
delivered,  one  year,  the  address  on  Washington's  Birth- 
day. On  June  29,  1855,  he  received  his  Master  of  Arts 
degree. 

He  now  began  reading  law  with  Judge  Arthur  Mor- 
son.  Before  long,  however,  he  decided  to  become  a 
minister  of  the  gospel.  This  decision  greatly  disgusted 
his  teacher,  who  declared  that  he  was  giving  up  the  pros- 
pect of  being  a  brilliant  lawyer  to  become  a  poor  Baptist 
preacher.  He  was  ordained  October  10,  1856,  Dr.  J.  B. 
Jeter  being  one  of  the  presbytery.     As  most  young  Bap- 


WILLIAM  DANDRIDGE  THOMAS  389 

tist  preachers  in  Virginia,  Mr.  Thomas  began  his  work- 
in  the  country.  He  became  pastor  of  Mount  Carmel 
Church,  Caroline  County,  in  the  Shiloh  Association,  a 
church  which  had  been  organized  some  six  years.  On 
his  twenty- fourth  birthday  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ella 
H.  Jones,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  John  R.  Jones  and  Gil- 
ley  Marshall  Jones,  of  Charlottesville,  Va.,  the  ceremony 
being  perfonned  by  Rev.  Jno.  A.  Broadus. 

From  Mount  Carmel  he  went  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
church  at  Warrenton,  Virginia.  During  his  Warrenton 
pastorate  he  preached  for  a  season,  twice  each  month,  at 
Blue  Run  Church.  Orange,  and  later,  once  each  month, 
at  Broad  Run  Church,  Fauquier.  During  his  pastorate 
in  Warrenton  a  Female  Institute  was  established  and  the 
church  built  a  commodious  meeting-house.  Just  as  this 
edifice  was  nearing  completion  the  Battle  of  Manassas 
was  fought  and  the  new  church  was  used  for  a  hospital. 
The  pastor  and  his  wife  also  cared  for  the  wounded  in 
their  home,  some  of  the  poor  fellows  remaining  under  this 
hospitable  roof  for  many  weeks.  Mr.  Thomas,  though 
gifted  in  many  ways,  was  altogether  lacking  in  musical 
talent.  At  Blue  Run  Church,  the  negroes,  as  was  the 
custom  in  those  days,  occupied  the  gallery.  One  day 
Mr.  Thomas  gave  out  a  hymn.  Nobody  raised  the  tune. 
Just  as  he  was  about  to  announce  a  more  familiar  hymn, 
a  big  negro  walked  up  the  aisle,  stood  in  front  of  the 
pulpit,  scratched  his  head,  and  said :  "Marse  Preacher, 
if  you  jist  sot  that  tune,  I'll  jine  in."  Dr.  Jas.  L.  Jones, 
the  preacher's  brother-in-law,  and  several  others  who 
were  present,  knew  that  "Marse  Preacher"  could  not  "sot 
that  tune,"  and  shook  with  laughter,  and  a  smile  went 
over  the  congregation.  One  Sunday  morning  a  lady  in 
Orange  County  found  at  the  hour  when  it  was  time  to 
start  to  church  that  her  horses  could  not  be  used.  She 
continued    her    preparations    for    church.      Upon    being 


390         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

asked  if  she  had  forgotten  about  the  horses,  she 
answered  that  she  had  not,  but  that  she  would  wilHngly 
walk  several  miles  to  hear  Wm.  Thomas  preach.  Dur- 
ing Mr.  Thomas'  years  in  Warrenton  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Theological  Seminary  was  established  at  Greenville, 
S.  C.,  and  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees.  On  September  8,  1859,  he  wrote  to  Rev.  Jno. 
A.  Broadus  bidding  him  farewell  upon  his  removal  to 
Greenville,  exclaiming  in  the  course  of  his  letter:  "My 
dear  brother,  may  the  Lord  go  with  you  to  Greenville 
and  abide  with  you  there!"  On  October  9,  1860,  he 
wrote  again :  "...  I  have  concluded  that  the 
surest  way  to  convert  our  brethren,  who  oppose  theo- 
logical education,  from  their  error,  is  to  make  them  try 
the  work  of.  pastors  without  such  training.  If  this  were 
done,  they  would  soon  be  .  .  .  forty  thousand  miles 
off  from  opposition  to  Greenville."  When  the  tide  of 
war  swelled  all  around  Warrenton,  Mr.  Thomas,  with  his 
family,  retired  within  the  Confederate  lines  and  joined 
his  father's  household,  who  were  refugees  in  Danville, 
Virginia. 

In  the  spring  of  1863  Mr.  Thomas  became  pastor  of 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Greenville,  S.  C.  This  brought 
him  into  an  atmosphere  that  must  have  been  most  delight- 
ful to  him.  He  had  always  been  literary  in  his  aptitudes, 
and  increasingly  a  scholar ;  now  he  was  in  the  town  with 
Furman  University  and  the  Seminary  which  he  had 
loved  from  its  very  start.  Yet  to  preach  acceptably. 
Sunday  after  Sunday  to  Jas.  P.  Boyce,  Basil  Manly,  Jr., 
John  A.  Broadus,  Wm.  Williams,  Jas.  C.  Furman,  and 
a  crowd  of  Seminary  and  college  students,  was  not  an 
easy  task.  Dr.  Broadus  declared  that  he  would  be  glad 
to  have  Mr.  Thomas  as  his  pastor  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
A  delightful  companionship  must  have  existed  between 
the  pastor  and  his  brethren  and  members,  the  Seminary 


WILLIAM  DANDRIDGE  THOMAS  391 

and  college  professors.  At  this  time  Dr.  Broadus  was 
at  work  on  his  "Preparation  and  Delivery  of  Sermons," 
and  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  he  says :  "W.  D.  T. 
has,  with  exemplary  patience,  nay,  with  characteristic 
kindness,  encouraged  me  to  read  my  successive  chapters 
to  him.  and  has  made  useful  criticisms  and  suggestions." 
During  these  years  160  were  added  to  the  church  by 
baptism,  and  over  80  by  letter.  More  than  once  Mr. 
Thomas  offered  his  resignation,  but,  being  urged  by  the 
church,  withdrew  it.  At  this  time  Kind  Words  was 
established  and  had  a  large  circulation,  for  though  the 
paper  on  which  it  was  printed  was  indifferent,  its  con- 
tents were  of  a  high  order.  Mr.  Thomas  was  one  of  the 
contributors,  writing  over  the  name  "Didymus." 

It  may  be  fitting  at  this  point  to  consider  Mr.  Thomas' 
rank  and  ability  as  a  preacher.  Dr.  C.  B.  Fleet  heard 
him  constantly  during  this  Greenville  period.  He  set  out 
with  a  prejudice  against  Mr.  Thomas,  namely,  that  his 
father's  wealth  and  not  his  own  ability  had  been  the  cause 
of  his  call.  Before  long  he  absolutely  reversed  this 
opinion,  coming  to  regard  him  as  "one  of  our  ablest 
preachers."  Dr.  Fleet  says :  "It  always  seemed  to  me 
that,  in  his  pulpit  services,  he  realized  that  he  was 
speaking  for  God.  .  .  .  He  loved  to  preach  on  the 
great  doctrines  of  Christianity — God's  majesty,  election, 
the  atonement,  the  incarnation."  Even  before  this  time, 
a  man  well  qualified  to  judge,  after  hearing  him  preach 
for  over  a  week,  wrote  to  Dr.  Broadus  :  "  .  .  .  His 
sermons  are  equal  to  anybody's — powerful,  interesting, 
effective. "  From  the  very  beginning  of  his  ministry  his 
preaching  must  have  been  most  impressive.  During  his 
last  illness,  not  long  before  his  death,  two  ladies  visited 
him,  one  who  had  heard  him  preach  forty-one  years,  and 
the  other  thirty-six  years,  before.  They  remembered 
the  outlines  of  two  sermons,  one  preached  at  Broad  Run 


392         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

and  the  other  at  Charlottesville,  and  spoke  tenderly  of 
the  influence  on  their  after-lives.  Here  is  Dr.  Wm.  E. 
Hatcher's  estimate  of  him  as  a  preacher:  "It  is  just  to 
say  that  Dr.  Thomas  was  not  an  equal  man  in  the 
presence  of  the  public.  He  sometimes  lacked  ease  when 
confronting  assemblies.  But  he  had  seasons  of  rare  and 
almost  unequalled  elevation.  At  times  he  was  a  prophet 
of  surpassing  power.  While  I  could  not  speak  of  him 
as  possessing  that  blinding  magnetism  which  thrilled  and 
mastered  impulsive  crowds,  he  did  possess  a  wonderful 
pulpit  power.  '  It  was  a  thing  I  often  said — that  Dr. 
Thomas  was  the  best  occasional  preacher  in  Virginia. 
But  he  was  a  preacher  for  the  few  and  not  for  the  many. 
I  heard  our  brother  preach  a  number  of  times,  and  every 
seiTnon  left  upon  me  a  distinct  impression;  and  two  of 
these  sermons — one  on  the  Temptation  of  Jesus,  and  the 
other  on  the  Ascension  of  Christ — I  ranked  with  the  few 
exceptionally  great  sermons  that  I  have  heard  in  my 
day." 

In  1871  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Free- 
mason Street  Baptist  Church,  Norfolk.  This  position 
he  filled  for  ten  years.  Reference  has  been  made  to 
Mr.  Thomas  as  a  preacher.  One  who  knew  him  well 
speaks  of  the  faithful  work  he  did  on  his  Wednesday 
night  addresses  and  of  the  good  attendance  at  these 
services.  As  his  eyes  were  ever  more  or  less  of  a 
hindrance  to  him,  he  rarely  wrote  his  sermons  in  full, 
but  often  committed  to  memory  what  he  proposed  to  say. 
With  his  return  to  Virginia  he  began  to  take  his  part  in 
the  work  of  the  denomination  in  the  State.  He  was  the 
President  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  (for  the  State) 
at  Norfolk,  and  it  was  his  custom  to  attend  evei-y  year 
the  General  Association.  He  was  most  able  in  debate. 
Dr.  Hatcher  says:  "The  combative  element  had  a  dis- 
tinct   place    in    his    make-up.      When    aroused    he    was 


WILLIAM  DANDRIDGE  THOMAS  393 

tremendous  as  a  platform  speaker,  and  now  and  then 
swept  the  field  clean  with  the  storms  of  his  argumenta- 
tive eloquence.  I  saw  him  rise  to  speak  on  a  pending 
proposition  which  had  been  upheld  by  several  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  State.  He  was  well  prepared,  and 
by  his  almost  matchless  logic  he  turned  the  tide  and  had 
a  mighty  majority.  After  the  meeting  was  over,  I  said 
to  the  brother  who  had  brought  forward  the  proposition, 
that  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  way  the  vote  went. 
'After  William  Thomas  finished  that  remorseless  speech,' 
he  said  with  genuine  humor,  T  was  glad  to  get  away 
with  my  life.'  "  In  1872  the  General  x\ssociation  met 
in  Staunton.  A  letter  of  Dr.  Jno.  A.  Broadus,  written 
as  the  train  approached  Richmond,  gives  quite  a  picture 
of  the  returning  delegates :  "Great  crowd  leaving 
Staunton  this  morning.  Very  interesting  to  be  with  so 
many  dear  friends.  Have  had  a  long  talk  with  Doctor 
Jeter,  at  his  request,  about  the  location  of  the  Seminary. 
Also  many  talks  with  many  others.  A.  Broaddus  and 
his  wife  sit  across  the  aisle  of  the  car.  W.  D.  Thomas 
comes  by  and  says:  'Give  my  love  to  your  wife  and 
your  ma,'  talks  a  while,  and  goes  ofif  saying,  'Finish 
your  letter.'  Dr.  Curry,  who  was  president  of  the  Gene- 
ral Association,  and  hard-worked,  is  on  the  seat  behind 
me,  asleep.  Bilting  is  over  yonder,  gayly  talking  with 
some  lady,  etc.,  etc."  Doubtless,  that  day  the  brethren 
had  heard  more  than  once  Mr.  Thomas'  laugh,  which 
was  peculiar,  yet  very  jolly  and  contagious ;  A.  E.  Dick- 
inson described  it  as  "ringing,"  and  Thomas  Hume  as 
"bubbling." 

At  the  Commencement  of  Richmond  College,  in  June, 
1881,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Hawthorne,  at  the  request  of  the 
Trustees,  made  several  very  interesting  announcements. 
One  was  that  through  a  gift  of  $25,000  from  Mr.  James 
Thomas,  Jr.,  and  another  of  $1,500  from  a  friend  who 


394         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

desired  his  name  to  be  withheld,  two  new  chairs  were 
to  be  estabhshed  in  the  College.  Another  was  that  A.  B. 
Brown  and  Wm.  D.  Thomas  had  been  elected  to  fill 
these  chairs.  Dr.  Thomas,  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  had  earnestly  advocated  another  man  for  the 
chair  of  Philosophy,  but  the  Board  insisted  on  electing 
him.  For  twenty  years  he  ably  discharged  the  duties  of 
this  important  position.  "He  brought  to  the  College, 
.  .  .  ripe  scholarship,  wide  experience,  and  keen  in- 
sight into  human  nature.  His  old  students,  scattered  in 
many  states,  will  recall  his  suggestiveness  in  the  class 
room,  his  searching  questions,  his  power  of  inciting 
thought,  and,  above  all,  his  earnest  sincerity  and  open- 
eyed  love  of  truth.  The  man's  nobility  of  character  and 
his  life  were,  after  all,  his  best  teaching.  No  student 
who  ever  heard  him  pray  could  get  away  from  his  influ- 
ence. As  a  student  of  his,  now  a  professor  in  a  great 
university,  once  remarked :  T  loved  him  the  first  time  I 
ever  heard  him  pray.'  "  He  took  up  his  work  with 
"unfeigned  diffidence"  but  earnestly  he  strove  "to  equip 
and  adjust  himself  to  and  in  his  new  place,"  and  always 
clung  to  his  place  with  unflinching  devotion.  A  friend 
upbraided  him,  almost  quarreled  with  him,  for  not  escap- 
ing more  frequently  from  his  class  room  to  recover  the 
spring  and  buoyancy  of  spirit.  "But  he  was  not  to  be 
moved.  His  hand  was  to  the  plough."  Yet,  in  the 
summer-time  he  did  go  out  to  represent  the  College  at 
the  Virginia  District  Associations.  Dr.  Hatcher  says : 
"I  was  with  him  at  one  of  our  Baptist  Associations  in 
the  Piedmont  of  Virginia.  He  delivered  an  address  so 
thrilling  and  overmastering  that  the  people  were  well- 
nigh  frenzied  with  enthusiasm,  and  it  was  written  that  a 
mountaineer  Baptist  had  said  that  if  the  Baptists  desired 
to  have  people  interested  in  Richmond  College  they  had 
better  keep  that  Professor  on  the  road  all  the  time.''     In 


WILLIAM  DANDRIDGE  THOMAS  395 

January,  1891,  Dr.  Thomas  was  married  to  Miss  Maria 
L.  Powell  of  Loudoun  County,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed by  Rev.  Dr.  H.  H.  Wyer. 

Dr.  Thomas  was  remarkable  for  his  humility,  his 
generosity,  his  trustfulness,  his  hospitality,  and  his  un- 
flinching adherence  to  what  he  believed  to  be  truth  and 
duty.  He  underestimated  rather  than  overestimated  his 
own  ability,  but  had  a  noble  appreciation  of  the  gifts  of 
his  brethren.  He  loved  to  extend  the  hospitality  of  his 
handsome  home  to  his  brethren  and  friends.  On  one 
occasion,  it  may  have  been  when  his  father's  house  w^as 
full  of  guests,  his  father  said :  "William,  what  is  the 
gospel?"  After  the  son  had  given  an  elaborate  answer, 
the  father  said :  "I  declare  unto  you  the  gospel,  how  that 
Christ  died  for  our  sins,  according  to  the  Scriptures,  and 
that  he  was  buried,  and  that  he  rose  again  the  third  day, 
according  to  the  Scriptures."  The  list  of  the  preachers 
who  broke  bread  with  him  or  slept  beneath  his  roof 
would  be  a  long  one.  At  the  General  Association,  wdiich 
met  in  Richmond  in  1896,  he  had  arranged  a  schedule  of 
all  of  the  meals  during  the  sessions  of  the  body.  For 
each  meal  he  invited  as  many  of  his  brethren  as  his  table 
would  accommodate.  As  each  one  accepted,  his  name 
was  carefully  entered  by  this  generous  and  systematic 
host  at  the  proper  place  on  his  schedule.  One  of  his 
daughters  says:  "My  father  trusted  everybody  until 
given  a  cause  not  to;  consequently,  was  often  imposed 
upon.  Once,  before  I  w^as  grown,  a  man  stayed  at  home 
ten  days  or  two  wrecks.  He  hadn't  been  away  a  month 
before  he  was  arrested,  being  a  celebrated  imposter."  In 
a  letter  to  Dr.  Jno.  A.  Broadus,  written  May  21,  1870, 
speaking  of  the  Convention  in  Louisville,  he  says :  'T 
certainly  said  nothing  which  ought  to  offend  any  man 
North.  My  convictions  on  the  whole  subject  are  clear 
and  strong.     I  am  in  favor  of  cultivating  kindly  feeling, 


396         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

in  favor  of  fraternal  intercourse,  in  favor  of  correspond- 
ing in  a  brotherly  way,  through  messages,  with  Northern 
societies,  but  utterly  opposed  to  having  our  Boards  in 
any  way  complicated  or  associated  with  theirs." 

In  February,  1901,  he  tendered  his  resignation  to  the 
College  Trustees,  but  they  declined  to  accept  it.  In 
April  he  went  to  Baltimore  for  treatment.  An  operation 
was  performed.  It  was  successful.  He  was  thought  to 
be  doing  very  well,  when  suddenly,  three  weeks  after  the 
operation,  without  warning,  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, May  22,  he  passed  away.  "God's  finger  touched  him 
and  he  slept." 


FRANKLIN  HOWARD  KERFOOT 

In  an  old  daguerreotype,  still  extant,  Dr.  Kerfoot,  his 
wife  and  two  boys  are  seen.  The  smaller  of  the  boys, 
"dressed  in  the  dainty,  ruffled  velvet  jacket  of  those  days, 
a  fair,  winsome  baby  of  about  three  summers,  with  soft, 
curling  dark  hair  and  large,  earnest  blue  eyes,"  was 
Franklin  Howard  Kerfoot,  familiarly  known  in  those 
early  days  as  "Howdie."  He  was  born,  August  29,  1847, 
at  "Llewellyn,"  his  father's  home,  near  Berryville,  Clarke 
County,  Virginia.  Before  his  fourth  summer  passed,  his 
mother  died.  As  he  grew,  "with  the  head  of  a  philoso- 
pher and  the  heart  of  a  child,"  he  showed  a  willingness 
to  help  wherever  he  could,  developing  at  the  same  time  a 
genial  humor,  as  when  his  apology  to  his  sister  for  eat- 
ing so  many  of  her  rolls  was  that  they  "sot  so  light"  he 
could  not  tell  how  many  he  had  eaten.  Even  at  this 
early  age  he  was  intensely  religious.  In  his  fourteenth 
year  the  Civil  War  broke  out  and  his  native  Valley  of 
Virginia  saw  many  battles  and  regiments  marching  back 
and  forth.  The  older  sons  being  in  the  army  and  the 
father  a  busy  physician  for  a  large  section  of  country, 
Howard  was  the  one  upon  whom  much  of  the  work  fell. 
When  still  not  eighteen  years  old  he  went  off  to  the 
army,  enlisting  under  Mosby.  Scarcely  had  he  taken  his 
place  in  the  ranks  when  the  War  came  to  an  end  at  Appo- 
mattox. The  Kerfoot  sons  returned  home.  Thanks  to 
a  countermanded  order,  "Llewellyn"  had  not  been 
burned,  but  the  stable,  wheat  stacks  and  fences  had  not 
escaped.  Without  faltering,  these  young  men  took  hold 
of  the  farm,  which  their  father  turned  over  to  them.  To 
carry  on  things  at  home  and  to  complete  their  education 
they  set  to  work.     The  road  to  college  diplomas   was 

397 


39^         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

longer  for  Howard  than  for  his  brothers.  He  got 
a  threshing  machine,  and  with  it  secured  funds  for  his 
college  expenses.  Upon  a  certain  morning  two  years 
after  the  War,  Dr.  Shute  introduced  to  several  students 
of  Columbian  College,  at  his  breakfast  table,  the  young 
man  who  a  little  while  ago  was  so  busy  on  the  farm. 
At  this  time  Dr.  G.  W.  Sampson  was  president  of  the 
college;  James  Nelson,  J.  Taylor  Ellyson,  still  wearing 
his  grey  uniform,  and  F.  R.  Boston  were  members  of 
the  student  body. 

After  graduating  at  Columbian  "he  felt  impelled,  com- 
pelled to  preach  the  gospel."  At  Columbian  he  had  re- 
ceived the  degrees  of  B.  Ph.,  A.  M.,  and  B.  L.  In  his 
earlier  days  he  had  confessed  Christ  and  been  baptized 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  Berryville  Church.  Doubts 
and  temptations  he  must  have  had,  but  "in  his  practical 
faith  there  seemed  never  a  halt,  and  when  in  troubled 
waters  he  would  strike  rock  bottom  in  some  such  words 
as  this:  Tf  there  is  a  Christ,  I  do  believe  in  Him.'" 
One  of  his  favorite  hymns  was  "My  hope  is  built  on 
nothing  less."  In  a  letter  to  one  tortured  with  doubts 
he  wrote:  "Despair  ought  not  to  begin  anywhere  this 
side  of  eternity.  Even  with  those  who  feel  nearest  to 
despair  the  grounds  of  hope  are  as  strong  as  the  promises 
of  God."  Soon  after  his  decision  to  preach,  he  set  out 
for  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Green- 
ville. In  a  letter  dated  January  11,  1870,  Dr.  J.  A. 
Broadus  wrote  to  Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry :  "We  have  a  fine 
young  man  here  from  Berryville,  Kerfoot  (graduate  of 
Columbian),  who  heard  you  two  or  three  times  on  your 
tours  and  speaks  with  unbounded  enthusiasm  of  the 
addresses."  An  attack  of  bilious  fever  and  the  tragic 
death  of  a  classmate  and  personal  friend  so  shattered  his 
nerves  as  to  compel  him  to  return  home.  He  next  turned 
his  steps  towards  Crozer  Theological  Seminary.     Here 


FRANKLIN  HOWARD  KERFOOT         399 

he  graduated,  one  of  his  fellow-graduates  being  F.  R. 
Boston,  a  classmate  at  Columbian. 

After  his  graduation  at  Crozer,  upon  appointment  of 
Dr.  J.  P.  Boyce,  he  worked  in  Texas  and  Missouri  as 
agent  for  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary. 
About  this  time  he  came  into  possession  of  some  property 
and  decided,  as  he  expressed  it,  "to  commit  the  folly  of 
traveling."  He  went  as  far  as  Egypt  and  Palestine. 
An  unscrupulous  boatman  on  the  sea  of  Galilee,  near 
the  middle  of  the  lake,  refused  to  go  further  unless  his 
fare  was  doubled.  Upon  returning  from  the  East  he 
spent  some  months  in  Leipsic. 

Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States,  in  the  summer 
of  1874,  having  completed  his  course  at  the  University 
of  Leipsic,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Midway  and  Forks 
of  Elkhorn  churches,  Kentucky.  So  far  he  had  given 
little  thought  to  marriage,  saying  he  had  no  time  or  taste 
for  courtship,  but  that  he  might  marry  if  some  one  would 
find  him  just  the  right  girl.  His  mother  had  come  from 
.Kentucky,  and  in  the  home  of  her  dearest  school  friend 
he  met  Miss  Price,  whom  he  married  and  who  was  his 
$100,000  wife  as  he  loved  to  call  her.  When  some  thirty 
years  of  age  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Eutaw  Place  Baptist 
Church.  Baltimore,  to  succeed  Dr.  Richard  Fuller.  He 
remained  in  Baltimore  some  five  years.  His  wonderful 
capacity  for  organization  and  his  love  for  system  here 
had  a  fine  field.  The  magnetism  of  a  great  man.  the 
matchless  orator  Richard  Fuller,  so  far  the  church's 
only  pastor,  had  been  the  unifying  power.  When  Mr. 
Kerfoot  left  the  church,  it  was  like  a  complex,  smoothly 
running  piece  of  machinery.  His  intense  energy  led  to 
a  nervous  collapse.  The  church  seconded  the  advice  of 
the  physician  that  he  take  a  trip  to  Europe,  and  the 
generosity  of  one  member  made  it  possible  for  his  wife 
also   to   go.      He   returned    from   this   vacation   greatly 


400         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

refreshed.  On  Wednesday,  December  27,  1882,  how- 
ever, he  offered  his  resignation  to  accept  the  pastorate  of 
the  Strong  Place  Baptist  Church,  Brooklyn,  New  York. 
During  his  years  at  Eutaw  Place,  300  had  been  added 
to  the  church,  about  $80,000  raised,  and  colonies  sent 
out  to  organize  the  Fuller  Memorial  and  Immanuel 
Baptist  churches. 

While  pastor  of  Strong  Place  he  was  called  to  pass 
through  the  deep  waters  of  afifliction.  After  a  summer 
vacation  at  "Llewellyn"  he  had  an  attack  which  left  him 
a  cripple.  The  Hot  Springs  and  then  expensive  and 
painful  treatment  failed  to  bring  relief.  After  a  long 
time  restoration  came.  From  Brooklyn  he  went  to  the 
professor's  chair  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological 
Seminary,  Louisville,  where  he  was  to  do  the  best  work 
of  his  life.  Sorrow  followed  him  here.  A  little  daughter 
about  thirteen  years  old,  to  whom  he  was  most  ardently 
attached,  passed  through  a  most  trying  illness  and  then 
died.  In  a  sermon  he  said,  alluding  to  this  sorrow : 
"When  she  was  between  twelve  and  thirteen  years  of 
age  I  saw  her  dying  daily  for  four  or  five  months  after 
the  fatal  shaft  had  struck  her  heart.  And,  oh,  my  God, 
no  man  and  no  woman  who  has  not  gone  through  it 
knows  the  agony  and  the  anguish  of  giving  up  a  child 
after  it  has  thus  wrought  itself  into  the  life  and  into  the 
heart,  and  when  the  tendrils  have  gathered  all  about  us, 
until  they  have  become  a  very  part  of  us." 

Dr.  Kerfoot  gave  some  twelve  years  to  the 'Seminary, 
first  assisting  Dr.  Boyce  as  teacher  and  treasurer,  and 
then  being  for  ten  years  full  professor  of  Systematic 
Theology ;  and  for  a  part  of  this  period  having  also  the 
chair  of  Pastoral  Duties  and  Church  Government.  To 
this  last  department  he  brought  the  varied  experience  as 
pastor,  and  "made  a  new  era  in  the  course  of  instruc- 
tion."    In  the  financial  side  of  his  work  he  did  effective 


FRANKLIN  HOWARD  KERFOOT         401 

service  and  helped  Dr.  Broadiis  to  bring  the  endowment 
of  the  Seminary  to  the  $400,000  mark.  He  holds  "a. 
secure  place  among  the  excellent  teachers  who  have 
helped  to  form  the  theological  thinking  of  a  generation 

of    our    Southern    Baptist    preachers Nor 

must  the  ever-kindly,  fraternal,  judicious  personal 
relations  to  his  pupils  be  forgotten."  In  the  history  of 
how  the  Seminary  was  put  on  a  good  financial  basis, 
beside  the  names  of  Boyce  and  Broadus  must  stand  that 
of  Kerfoot. 

From  the  Seminary  Dr.  Kerfoot  j^assed  to  be  Corre- 
sponding Secretary  of  the  Home  Mission  Board  (of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention)  in  Atlanta.  Here  was  a 
fine  field  for  his  great  administrative  powers.  He  saw- 
in  vision  all  Southern  Baptists  in  line  for  the  great  work 
of  the  world's  evangeffeation.  He  w^as  setting  out  for 
the  realization  of  this  inspiring  scheme,  when,  in  the 
prime  of  his  manhood,  death  came.  On  Saturday,  June 
22,  1901,  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  he  passed  aw^ay.  He  was 
buried  in  Shelbyville,  Ky. 


26 


JOSEPH  R.  HARRISON. 

Joseph  R.  Harrison  was  born  in  1832,  in  Franklin 
County,  Virginia.  His  parents  were  Irish  Catholics. 
His  early  educational  opportunities  were  not  great.  He 
attended  as  a  youth  Hale's  Ford  Academy,  making 
money  by  selling  books  to  go  on  with  his  studies.  Dur- 
ing his  vacations  he  seems  to  have  worked  as  a  colporteur, 
having  been  converted  in  a  Presbyterian  meeting.  Later, 
through  study  of  the  Bible,  he  became  a  Baptist.  In  these 
two  steps  he  met  serious  opposition  from  his  father,  yet, 
when  his  father  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-three, 
he  had  the  joy  of  baptizing  him.  After  being  licensed 
to  preach,  he  was  ordained  at  the  session  of  the  Blue 
Ridge  Association  in  the  summer  of  1857;  one  of 
the  presbytery  was  Rev.  Daniel  G.  Taylor.  His  first 
work  as  a  pastor  was  in  his  native  county.  On  March 
26,  1861,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth 
Lunsford. 

The  larger  part  of  Mr.  Harrison's  pastoral  work  was 
in  the  Valley  Association  and  Southwest  Virginia.  He 
was  pastor  of  Enon  Church,  Hollins,  Va.,  from  Novem- 
ber 12,  1865,  to  July,  1874.  During  these  years  he  had 
the  fellowship  and  friendship  of  Dr.  C.  L.  Cocke,  the 
President  of  Hollins  Institute,  and  the  stimulus  of  this 
seat  of  learning.  Mr.  Harrison  felt  the  press  of  want 
in  the  years  just  after  the  War,  and  he  never  forgot  the 
marriage  fee  he  received  from  Mr.  D.  B.  Strouse,  as  it 
was  the  first  money  he  saw  after  the  War.  Upon  leav- 
ing the  Enon-Buchanan  field  he  gave  himself  wholly  to 
evangelistic  work  for  some  years,  but  finally  became 
pastor  at    Glade   Spring  as  missionary   of    the    State 

402 


JOSEPH  R.  HARRISON  403 

Mission  Board.  When  he  went  to  Glade  Spring  there 
were  only  five  Baptists  in  the  place.  Some  years  later 
he  became  pastor  at  Radford  and  then  for  about  a  year 
he  was  in  charge  of  a  church  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri. 
Upon  his  return  to  Virginia  he  accepted  a  call  to  the 
Fulton  Church,  Richmond,  and  then  was  pastor  of 
Immanuel  Church,  Richmond.  As  his  life  was  nearing 
its  close,  he  became  pastor  at  Stuart,  Va.,  his  spirit  being 
stirred  as  he  saw  what  he  thought  ought  to  be  done  and 
what  could  be  done  at  this  place,  his  heart  leaping  at  the 
prospect  of  being  again  among  the  foothills  of  the  Blue 
Ridge. 

Rev.  J.  E.  Hutson,  who  has  given  his  life  to 
evangelistic  work,  writes  thus  of  his  brother  evangelist : 
"Harrison  is  one  of  the  most  earnest  men  I  ever  heard 
speak.  His  sermons  are  intensely  biblical.  He  sticks 
to  a  text  like  a  bee  to  a  flower.  He  interprets  Scripture 
by  the  Scriptures.  He  doesn't  shake  the  Bible  at  the 
people  and  rave  over  Huxley  and  Darwin.  In  other 
words,  he  doesn't  act  the  fable  of  the  ass  parading  in 
the  lion's  skin.  There  is  no  pandering  to  those  who  have 
'itching  ears.'  He  is  a  living  demonstration  of  the  fact 
that  the  gospel  faithfully  and  earnestly  preached  (and 
the  gospel  can  not  be  faithfully  preached  without  earnest- 
ness) is  the  most  interesting  thing  in  the  world.  Harri- 
son is  a  man  of  God.  He  has  laid  his  all  upon  the  altar." 
After  the  close  of  a  great  meeting  at  the  Pine  St.  Baptist 
Church,  Richmond,  in  which  Mr.  Harrison  helped  the 
pastor.  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Hutson,  the  Religious  Herald  said : 
"  .  .  .  J.  R.  Harrison  is  a  most  striking  and  power- 
ful preacher.  Like  Elijah,  the  word  of  God  is  as  a  fire 
in  his  bones,  and  it  sets  everything  on  fire  around  him. 
He  preaches  from  his  heart  rather  than  his  head,  and 
yet  his  sermons  are  remarkably  thoughtful  and  sug- 
gestive.   His  reasoning  is  so  simple  that  the  little  children 


404         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

listen  almost  as  attentively  as  their  parents.  We  noticed 
with  particular  pleasure  that  Bro.  Harrison  has  no  'pretty 
sayings' — no  straining  after  rhetorical  embellishments. 
He  does  indeed  say  some  sparkling  things,  but  they  drop 
from  his  lips  as  naturally  as  the  dewdrops  fall  from  the 
leaves  when  the  wind  blows.  In  the  main  his  preaching 
is  charmingly  simple  and  almost  ruggedly  plain,  and  it 
is  always  fervidly  earnest."  At  the  close  of  a  great 
meeting  in  Meridian,  Mississippi,  the  Nezvs,  a  daily 
paper,  said :  "  .  .  .  Rev.  Mr.  Harrison's  methods 
certainly  captured  our  people  of  all  classes.  No  pulpit 
jest  or  slang,  or  attempts  at  wit.  No  vituperation  or 
abuse  of  men  and  measures,  no  politics,  but  simply  'the 
Bible,  the  Bible,  the  Bible,  what  does  it  say?'  he  would 
ask,  and  with  great  earnestness,  he  would  persuade  men 
to  turn  to  God."  Upon  the  occasion  of  a  great  meeting 
at  the  Clay  Street  Baptist  Church,  Richmond,  when  some 
250  persons  made  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  Rev. 
Dr.  A.  E.  Dickinson  said :  "Mr.  Harrison  was  known 
for  years  as  the  children's  preacher,  because  of  the 
multitudes  of  little  ones  that  crowded  out  to  hear  him, 
even  when  his  sermons  were  not  intended  specially  for 
them.  As  might  be  expected  persons  brought  into  the 
church  under  such  preaching  are  apt  to  stick.  The  good 
influences  of  his  meetings  are  not  like  the  early  dew,  to 
disappear  with  the  rising  sun.  His  converts  wear  well." 
Mr.  Harrison  held  meetings  all  over  Virginia,  and  in 
Maryland,  North  Carolina,  West  Virginia,  Tennessee, 
Kentucky,  and  Missouri.  It  is  estimated  that  30,000 
persons  (and  some  put  the  figures  at  40,000)  made  pro- 
fession of  faith  in  meetings  he  held.  He  was  not  con- 
cerned about  the  money  that  a  series  of  meetings  might 
put  into  his  pocket.  During  the  meeting  in  Meridian, 
already  alluded  to,  he  said  one  night  publicly  that  there 
was  not  money  enough  in  Meridian  to  buy  one  sermon 


JOSEPH  R.  HARRISON  405 

from  him,  and  that  if  a  church  were  to  invite  him  to 
hold  a  protracted  meeting  and  accompany  the  invitation 
with  a  promise  to  pay  him  he  would  promptly  decline  it. 
"In  all  his  evangelistic  work  he  was  a  loyal  supporter  of 
the  pastor  in  charge,  and  many  of  his  meetings  resulted 
in  the  strengthening  of  existing  ties,  the  liquidation  of 
church  debts,  and  other  outward  tokens  of  prosperity." 
Not  a  few  of  those  converted  in  his  meetings  became 
preachers.  During  the  course  of  his  ministry  he  was 
instrumental  in  building  some  twenty  houses  of  worship. 

The  following  quotation  from  one  of  his  discourses 
in  a  protracted  meeting  gives  insight  into  his  character : 
"I  am  not  here  to  abuse  people  or  to  say  sharp,  cutting 
things  or  to  make  you  laugh.  That  is  not  my  way.  I 
pray  God  I  may  never  utter  a  remark  about  any  man 
or  any  class  of  men  that  is  not  a  kind  and  considerate 
remark.  You  will  never  hear  me  abuse  the  drunkard 
or  the  rum  seller,  or  the  covetous  professor  of  religion. 
I  can  weep  over  them  and  plead  with  my  God  to  give 
them  a  new  heart  and  a  new  life,  but  I  have  no  unkind 
work  to  utter  about  them  or  about  anybody  else.  The 
only  person  that  I  complain  of  every  day  is  myself.  As 
long  as  I  have  this  wicked  heart  beating  in  my  breast, 
so  long  will  I  feel  tenderly  towards  my  erring  fellow- 
men.  If  you  wish  to  hear  people  abused  you  will  make 
a  mistake  to  come  here." 

While  at  Glade  Spring  he  established  an  institution 
of  learning  for  young  women,  but  not  without  a  long 
struggle.  When  he  began  this  movement  for  a  school 
at  Glade  Spring  there  were  numerous  institutions  of 
learning  in  Virginia  for  young  women.  He  undertook 
to  provide  a  place  where  luxuries  should  be  disregarded, 
substantial  provided,  and  the  cost  made  as  low  as  was 
consistent  with  good  work.  To  accomplish  this  he  made 
appeals  for  financial  help,  and  used  the  purses  presented 


406         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

to  him  at  the  end  of  protracted  meetings.  At  one  time, 
when  he  was  aiming  to  raise  $3,000  for  his  school,  he 
wrote  to  the  Herald  that  he  would  be  willing  to  walk 
3,000  miles,  if,  by  so  doing,  he  could  see  the  persons  who 
would  give  him  the  desired  $3,000.  The  school  esta- 
lished  at  Glade  Spring,  after  a  few  years,  was  moved 
to  Bristol.  Mr.  Harrison  now  became  the  financial  agent 
of  the  school,  and  his  work  resulted  in  the  erection  of 
handsome  buildings,  Mr.  Harrison's  son-in-law,  Mr. 
S.  D.  Jones,  having  become  the  head  of  the  institution. 
The  years  come  and  go,  and  that  which  was  in  Mr. 
Harrison's  day  known  as  the  Southwest  Virginia  In- 
stitute, is  now  the  Virginia  Intermont  College.  A  society 
in  this  school  has  as  its  name  "The  Harrisonian  Literary 
Society."  Before  leaving  Glade  Spring,  Mr.  Harrison 
also  established  there  a  flourishing  academy  for  boys. 

Mr.  Harrison  was  attractive  in  his  own  home  and 
given  to  hospitality.  While  this  home  may  not  have  had 
many  of  the  luxuries  which  are  so  common  to-day,  yet 
it  was  "brilliant  with  the  love  and  peace  that  last  for- 
ever." There  was  always  room  under  this  roof  for  one 
more;  guests  were  constantly  there,  and  not  infrequently 
the  children  had  to  sleep  on  pallets.  The  door  stood 
open  and  a  warm  welcome  was  inside  to  all.  His  wife, 
during  his  many  absences  in  protracted  meetings,  had  on 
her  shoulders  the  responsibility  of  the  whole  household. 
This  responsibility  she  accepted  cheerfully,  and  when  he 
would  be  away  for  weeks  together,  she  lived  with  her 
Bible  and  was  much  of  her  time  on  her  knees.  The 
almost  daily  letter  from  her  husband  was  full  of  "love 
for  her  and  the  cause  of  his  Master,  upon  whose  errand 
he  was."  There  were  four  children,  two  boys  and  two 
girls;  the  boys,  James  Kent  and  Charles  Tompkins, 
died  at  Glade  Spring;  the  girls,  Bettie  and  Loula,  mar- 
ried S.  D.  and  Boldin  H.  Jones.     Mrs.  Harrison  died 


JOSEPH  R.  HARRISON  407 

August  19,  1890,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  her  age;  her 
funeral  being  conducted  by  Dr.  Kincannon,  assisted  by 
Rev.  D.  A.  Glenn,  Prof.  H.  H.  Harris,  and  others.  One 
who  knew  Mr.  Harrison  well  speaks  of  his  love  for  all 
loving  creatures,  and  says :  "He  would  give  his  veiT' 
best  efforts  and  last  penny  to  one  in  trouble  or  need. 
Many  times  he  was  imposed  on,  but  he  always  felt  he 
would  rather  be  deceived  than  to  turn  away  one  who 
might  be  worthy.  His  happy,  loving,  bright  nature,  and 
simple,  implicit  faith  in  God  was  an  inspiration  to  all 
who  knew  him.  So  faithful  to  every  duty,  and  unselfish 
to  such  a  degree  that  his  own  physical,  mental,  and 
financial  conditions  many  times  suffered!  He  would  go 
miles  and  put  himself  out  to  any  extent  to  help  a  minister 
of  God.  He  loved  the  whole  world,  but  his  very  soul 
rejoiced  in  his  love  for  the  ministers  and  little  children." 
Mr.  Harrison's  second  wife  was  Miss  Anna  Captaine, 
of  Richmond,  who  survived  him.  He  died  at  Stuart, 
Virginia,  June  24,  1901,  and  his  ashes  rest  in  "Holly- 
wood." 


THOMAS  WILLIAM  DOOLEY 

The  life  of  Thomas  Wilham  Dooley  covered  the  period 
from  February,  1831,  to  August,  1901.  Bedford  was 
his  birthplace,  and  much  of  his  life  and  work  seem  to 
have  been  in  this  county.  He  was  a  student  in  Franklin 
County,  at  the  classical  school  of  Prof.  Wni.  S.  Duncan, 
and  one  of  his  fellow-students  was  J.  R.  Harrison,  and 
later  these  two  men  were  companions  in  the  vineyard  of 
the  Lord.  Year  after  year  the  name  of  Brother  Dooley 
is  found  in  the  list  of  ministers  in  the  Minutes  of  the 
General  Association,  with  either  Salem  or  Liberty  as 
his  post-office,  but  there  is  little  else  in  these  records 
about  him.  In  1868,  he  was  pastor  of  Mountain  View 
Church,  Strawberry  Association,  but  while  the  obituary 
in  the  General  Association  Minutes  says  that  he  was 
pastor  of  "several  churches  in  Bedford  County  for  a 
period  of  years"  they  do  not  give  his  name  as  a 
pastor  save  at  Mountain  View.  "He  did  much  evangel- 
ical work.  He  possessed  a  good,  strong,  native  intellect 
and  ardent  emotions.  .  .  .  He  labored  with  zeal 
and  self-denial  and  turned  many  unto  Christ.  After  a 
lingering  illness  he  died  August  11th." 


408 


J.  E.  RAYMOND 

During  the  session  of  the  General  Association,  at 
Grace  Street,  in  November,  1901,  the  news  was  received 
of  the  death  of  Rev.  J.  E.  Raymond.  A  Virginian  by- 
birth,  twelve  years  of  his  ministry  were  spent  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  labored  as  a  missionary  pastor.  In 
Virginia  he  had  two  brief  pastorates.  First  he  was  in 
Clarke  County,  and  then  in  the  Potomac  Association,  at 
Marshall,  Pleasant  Vale,  Broad  Run,  and  Flint  Mill 
churches.  He  was  a  son  of  Rev.  Charles  Raymond,  of 
Mathews  County,  his  brother  being  Rev.  Frank  Ray- 
mond. He  graduated  at  Crozer  in  the  class  of  1880. 
After  an  illness  of  two  weeks,  on  November  12th,  at  the 
age  of  about  forty-five,  he  passed  away.  Bodily  weak- 
ness was  a  clog  to  him  all  his  life,  but  a  strong  will 
enabled  him  to  do  much  for  the  gloiy  of  God  in  his 
brief  career.  "He  was  a  preacher  of  scholarly  attain- 
ments, and  with  much  eloquence  and  spiritual  power  he 
presented  the  simple  truths  of  the  gospel."  He  left  a 
wife  and  several  young  children.  These  few-  facts  are 
from  the  obituary  in  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Asso- 
ciation. 


409 


GABRIEL  GRAY 

Gabriel  Gray's  parents  were  Presbyterians,  and  his 
family  one  of  "intensely  psedobaptistic  notions."  He 
was  born  November  19,  1830,  in  Ciilpeper  County,  Vir- 
ginia, and  educated  at  the  Virginia  Military  Institute, 
Lexington.  At  Union,  W.  Va.,  where  he  taught  school 
for  a  season,  he  met  and  married,  in  1853,  Miss  Ellen 
Beirne  McDaniel.  After  his  life  in  West  Virginia,  he 
moved  to  Alabama,  and  became  superintendent  of  the 
Greenville  Military  Academy.  When  the  War  broke  out 
he  became  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Fourth  Alabama 
Regiment  and  came  to  the  battlefields  of  Virginia.  Dur- 
ing the  last  years  of  the  War  he  served  as  chaplain. 
After  the  War  he  lived  in  Pulaski  County,  Virginia, 
where  he  taught  and  preached. 

As  a  preacher  and  pastor  he  served  the  Fincastle, 
Mill  Creek,  and  Zion's  Hill  churches,  being  pastor  of 
Mill  Creek  at  two  different  periods.  It  appears  from  the 
minutes  of  the  Mill  Creek  Church  that  he  was  called 
to  be  their  pastor  in  February,  1868,  and  that  he  served 
them  until  1876,  his  salary,  for  half  of  his  time,  being 
first  $200  and  then  $250.  During  his  second  pastorate 
here  his  salary  for  one-fourth  of  his  time  was  $136.  He 
was  "by  nature  a  fine  public  speaker,"  having  "readiness, 
energy,  and  magnetism."  While  not  a  student  he  was  a 
man  of  "immense  convictions,"  his  views  on  all  theo- 
logical questions  having  been  thoroughly  formed.  He 
was  successful  in  protracted  meeting  work,  and  was  also 
able  as  a  debater.  It  was  to  his  taste  to  fight  the  brother 
that  maintained  the  opposite  side,  and  in  Ministers'  and 
Laymen's  Meetings,  where  theological  questions  were 
decidedly  in  evidence,   he  was  a  son  of  thunder.     He 

410 


GABRIEL  GRAY  411 

knew  "the  laws  of  debate  and  the  rules  of  argumenta- 
tion" and  "the  fierce  spirit  of  battle"  was  in  his  soul,  yet 
he  was  thoroughly  courteous  and  mindful  of  the  rights 
and  feelings  of  his  brethren. 

He  seems  always  to  have  had  the  teacher  instinct  no 
less  than  that  of  the  preacher.  Upon  the  estabhshment 
of  the  public  school  system  in  Virginia  he  was  made 
superintendent  of  schools  for  Botetourt  County,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  held  for  ten  years.  He  was  most  efficient 
in  this  work,  having  been  regarded  by  some  as  the  best 
county  superintendent  in  the  State  in  his  day.  In  1891, 
he  moved  to  Clifton  Forge,  Va.,  carrying  on  there,  until 
1895,  wdien  death  took  from  him  his  faithful  wife,  his 
work  of  preaching  and  teaching.  His  last  years  were 
spent  in  the  home  of  Mr.  B.  Haden,  his  son-in-law,  in 
Fincastle.  For  several  years  before  his  death,  July  26, 
1902,  he  was  in  feeble  health,  but  his  faith  did  not  grow 
less.  He  was  buried  in  the  Godwin  Cemetery,  Fincastle. 
His  three  daughters  all  preceded  him  to  the  grave,  the 
second  daughter,  Mollie,  Mrs.  B.  Haden,  having  left  two 
daughters  and  a  son. 

One  who  wrote  of  Mr.  Gray,  many  years  l)efore  his 
death,  spoke  of  him  as  a  "royally  good  fellow"  and  thus 
described  him:  "He  is  about  fifty  years  of  age,  has  a 
compact  body,  a  heavy,  greyish  beard  and  has  his  study 
in  the  saddle.  He  can  cross  a  mountain  in  the  night, 
ride  all  day  in  the  face  of  a  cutting  wand,  talk  till  mid- 
night, or  preach  twice  a  day,  and  yet  after  all  look  as 
radiant  as  a  young  bridegroom." 


CHARLES  NELMS  BETTS 

In  Northumberland  County  Charles  Nelms  Betts  spent 
his  life,  this  being  the  place  of  his  birth  and  death.  Not 
until  his  thirty-seventh  year  did  he  accept  Christ  as  his 
Saviour,  and  he  was  in  his  forty-seventh  year  when  his 
career  as  a  pastor  began.  A  sermon  by  Rev.  W.  H. 
Kirk,  on  the  words:  "How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect 
so  great  salvation?"  Heb.  2  :3.  preached  October  25,  1874, 
in  the  Methodist  church,  Heathsville,  led  to  his  con- 
version in  the  quiet  of  his  father's  home.  He  united 
with  Coan  Church,  and  when  his  ministry  began,  this 
church,  with  Fairfield,  was  his  charge.  Here  he  fol- 
lowed, as  pastor,  his  spiritual  father.  Before  his  minis- 
try closed  he  served  Smithland,  Fairport,  Bethany,  and 
Totuskey  churches,  Rappahannock  Association.  While 
he  did  not  have  the  best  opportunities  for  an  education, 
and  while  he  was  not  brilliant  in  speech,  he  was  earnest 
and  faithful  to  his  Master  until  death.  During  his  min- 
istrv  he  married  235  couples  and  conducted  293  funerals. 
He\vas  born  March  15,  1837,  and  died  June  7,  1902. 
An  immense  crowd  attended  his  funeral.  The  obituary 
in  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Association,  on  which  this 
sketch  is  based,  was  prepared  by  Giles  F.  Eubank. 


412 


R.  E.  GLEASON 

For  twenty  years  or  more  Rev.  R.  E.  Gleason  labored 
in  the  bounds  of  the  Albemarle  Association.  This  sec- 
tion was  his  birthplace  and  his  lifelong  home.  For  a 
season  he  was  a  colporteur.  He  served  as  pastor  for 
longer  or  shorter  periods,  these  churches :  Mount  Paran, 
Piney  River,  Mountain  Cove,  Rose  Union,  and  Tye 
River.  Rev.  J.  B.  Turpin  said  of  him:  "He  was  never 
the  victim  of  'overweening  ambition'  and  seemed  per- 
fectly satisfied  with  'the  annals  of  a  Cjuiet  neighborhood.' 

.  .  .  He  provided  well  for  his  own  household  and 
was  always  frugal  and  industrious.  He  was  always 
prompt  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  obligations." 
He  died  in  July,  1902. 


CHARLES  REED  MOSES 

In  August,  1890.  at  the  Valley  Association  at  Salem, 
a  young  man,  who  had  had  little  education,  made  a  speech 
which  captivated  his  hearers.  This  young  man,  at  the 
time  a  colporteur  of  the  Sunday  School  and  Bible  Board, 
Charles  Reed  Moses,  was  born  in  Montgomery  County, 
Virginia,  June  8,  1870.  His  speech  led  to  help  that 
enabled  him  to  go  first  to  Alleghany  Institute  and  then 
to  Richmond  College.  The  instruction  and  influence  of 
such  men,  as  H.  H.  Harris  and  Wm.  D.  Thomas,  quickly 
told  in  uplift  for  him.  He  worked  his  way  through  at 
College,  appreciating  books,  and  even  more,  men — 
service  and  self-help  were  key  words  in  his  life.  During 
his  pastorate  of  five  years  at  Zoar  Church,   Middlesex 

413 


414         VIRGINIA  BAPTIST  MINISTERS 

County,  he  founded  Delta  Academy,  which  speedily 
lifted  the  whole  community  to  a  higher  intellectual  level. 
During  the  summer  of  1^97  he  visited  England,  France, 
Belgium,  Holland,  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Italy,  on 
which  journey  he  showed  great  zeal  in  learning  all  that 
each  country  could  teach  him.  Upon  his  return  home 
he  wrote  various  articles  about  the  places  that  had 
especially  appealed  to  him.  In  1890  he  became  principal 
of  Hawkins  Institute  at  Rural  Retreat,  and  a  year  later 
he  accepted  work  in  the  Southwest  Virginia  Institute 
(now  Intermont  College),  Bristol.  In  Bristol  he  soon 
had  a  large  circle  of  friends  who  saw  in  him  "a  citizen 
of  the  highest  character  and  a  public  servant  of  the  most 
unselfish  purposes."  He  died  in  the  home  of  Rev.  B. 
Cabell  Hening,  July  20,  1902,  leaving  his  widow,  who 
was  Miss  Ann  R.  Jackson  of  Middlesex  County,  Vir- 
ginia. The  foregoing  facts  and  the  words  which  follow 
are  from  the  obituary  prepared  for  the  General  Associa- 
tion Minutes  by  Dr.  S.  C.  Mitchell:  ''His  delight  in 
growth,  his  concern  for  the  large  interests  of  the 
denomination,  his  subtle  sympathy  with  all  classes  of 
people,  rich  and  poor,  learned  and  ignorant,  righteous 
and  sinful,  his  unflagging  friendship,  his  resolution  to  be 
and  to  do  with  all  his  might,  his  absolute  unselfishness 
in  all  these  varying  relations — these  are  the  elements  in 
his  character  and  work  that  have  become  the  permanent 
possession  of  the  brotherhood." 


J.  T.  McLaughlin 

Rev.  T.  H.  Athey.  who  was  for  a  season  his  pastor 
at  the  College  Hill  Church,  Lynchburg,  gives  in  an 
obituary  in  the  General  Association  Minutes  the  facts 
that  follow  as  to  the  life  of  Rev.  J.  T.  McLaughlin. 
His  father  represented  his  county  in  the  Legislature  for 
a  number  of  years;  his  mother  died  a  few  days  after 
his  birth,  which  took  place  at  Lewisburg,  Greenbrier 
County  (now  West  Virginia),  July  28,  1813.  He  be- 
came the  care  of  his  uncle,  James  W.  Matthews  of  Rock- 
bridge County.  At  sixteen  he  entered  Washington 
College  (now  Washington  and  Lee  University).  After 
two  sessions  he  returned  to  the  farm  of  his  foster 
parents.  In  1839  he  entered  the  Virginia  Baptist 
Seminary  (now  Richmond  College),  having  decided  to 
enter  the  ministry.  His  three  years  at  the  College  injured 
his  health.  While  teaching  school  and  recuperating 
at  the  home  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  James  Dryden,  Lexington, 
he  received  a  call  to  Hill's  Creek  Church,  Campbell 
County.  Along  with  this  church  he  served  churches  in 
Pittsylvania.  Charlotte  and  Halifax.  On  September  11, 
1844.  he  married  Miss  Ann  B.  Miller,  eldest  daughter 
of  Samuel  T.  Miller.  Of  this  union  there  were  seven 
children.  Along  with  the  work  of  the  pastorate,  he 
superintended  his  fann,  and  for  most  of  the  time  taught 
school.  In  1880  he  moved  to  Lynchburg.  After  his 
declining  health  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  give  up 
active  work  as  a  pastor,  he  still  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
College  Hill  Church,  being  present  regularly  as  long  as 
he  was  able.  His  courtesy  and  high  sense  of  honor  were 
marked  traits  of  his  character.  Some  months  before  his 
death  a  severe  fall  caused  the  fracture  of  his  hip.  After 
this  period  of  suffering,  during  which  not  a  murmur 
escaped  his  lips,  he  died  on  October  7,  1902. 

415 


JAMES  ANTHONY  HAYNES* 

James  Anthony  Haynes  was  born  near  Bruington, 
King  and  Queen  County,  Virginia,  December  13,  1822. 
The  principles  which  held  sway  in  the  Christian  com- 
munity in  which  he  was  reared  laid  the  foundations  of 
his  character.  After,  the  neighborhood  schools,  Rich- 
mond College  and  Columbian  College,  trained  him.  In 
1842  he  accepted  Christ,  and  being  baptized  by  Rev. 
John  O.  Turpin,  became  a  member  of  the  Bruington 
Baptist  Church.  From  childhood  his  thought  had  been 
that  he  would  be  a  physician,  and  carrying  out  this  plan, 
in  1846  he  graduated  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
Philadelphia.  He  returned  to  Bruington  to  practice  his 
profession  and  married  Miss  Mary  Mason,  of  King  and 
Queen  County.  In  1848  he  removed  to  Berryville,  Clarke 
County,  where  for  seven  years  he  labored  successfully  as 
a  physician.  Now  a  great  change  came  in  his  life;  the 
Berryville  Church  first  licensed  him  and  later  ordained 
him  to  preach.  To  make  out  a  living,  besides  preaching,  he 
taught  school  in  Berryville,  a  work  that  later  also  occupied 
a  part  of  his  time.  As  a  result  of  his  missionary  labors 
in  Clarke  County,  Mountain  View  Church,  on  the  slope 
of  the  Blue  Ridge,  was  constituted  and  its  meeting-house 
built.  His  labors  in  Charles  Town,  W.  Va.,  led  to  the 
beginning  of  the  beautiful  Baptist  meeting-house  in  that 
town.  Loudoun  County  was  his  next  field,  Ebenezer 
and  Middleburg  being  his  churches.  After  eight  years 
Ebenezer  was  given  up  and  Long  Branch,  Fauquier 
County,  became  one  of  his  charges.  He  served  Middle- 
burg   twenty-one    and    Long    Branch    fourteen    years. 

*This  article,  which  was  unintentionally  left  out  of  the  "Third 
Series,"  is  based  on  a  sketch  prepared  by  Rev.  Dr.  I.  B.  Lake  for 
the  Potomac  Association. 

416 


JAMES  ANTHONY  HAYNES  417 

"The  village  preacher  of  Goldsmith  might  be  taken  as  a 
true  picture  of  this  humble,  devoted  pastor,  living  in  his 
quiet,  happy  home  in  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Middle- 
burg."  Richmond  College  gave  him  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
On  Tuesday,  March  30,  1880,  from  a  sharp  attack  of 
angina  pectoris,  death  came  to  him.  The  Sunday  before 
he  had  preached  "with  unwonted  power  and  tender- 
ness." 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Acree,   R.   R I33 

Adams,   G.   F 200 

Allen,  L.  W „ 26,  71, 99 

Anderson.    T.    D '  72 

Arnold,    A.    N 72 

Athey,  S.  M 195.357 

Atkins,   S.  J 61,76-78 

Austin,  I.  T 168 

Bagby,   A 6 

Bagby.   G.  F 364-366 

Bagby.    R.    H _ 57,  72,  367 

Bagwell,    R.   W 54 

Bailey,   J.   C 57,72 

Banks,   H.   H 109 

Baptist,   E.   G 290-291 

Barker,    F.    M 377 

Barker.    J.    G 72 

Barnes,   J.    H 27,190 

Battaille.    L 187 

Bavlor.   R.   H _ 53 

Bavnham,   Wm.   A 31,367 

Beale,    F.    B 315 

Beale.    G.    W 158, 188,  230,  288 

Betts,    C.    N 412 

Billingsley.  J.    A 187-189,224 

Billingsley,    J.    F 187 

Bird,    J 31 

Bitting,    C.    C , 328-338 

Bitting.    W.    C 329 

Blackwell,  C.  S _ 109 

Bland.   W.    S 388 

Boatwright.   R.   B 159 

Boldridge.  J.  H „ 85 

Bolton.   A.   D _ 44 

Booker,  R.  E Z72, 

Boston.   S.   C 29.377 

Boston,   F.   R 30.  379,  398 

Boyce.   J.    P 143,  249,  390,  399 

Bradford,   S.    S 72 

Broaddus,  A 31,  57, 72, 174, 367-370 

Broaddus,   A.,   Jr 364 

Broaddus,  J „ 162 

Broaddus,  W.  F .210.339 

419 


420  INDEX 


PAGE 

Broadus,    J.    A 143,  144, 150, 214, 231-255,  282,  311. 

340,  389,  390, 393,  395,  398 

Brown,   A.    B 14,283 

Brown,   P _ _ ..66,93-94,380 

Bruce,  S 357 

Bucknell,   W _ 337 

Buckner,   R.   H.  W 261 

Burrows,   J.   L 170-186.329 

Burrows,  L — .  183 

Carey,  Lott „ 6 

Carroll,   J.   L 285 

Carver,   W.    O _ 303 

Chapin,  S 72 

Chaplin,   G.   H _ 297 

Chaplin,  J.  O.  B...._ _ 72 

Chambliss,    N 166 

Chancellor,    M.    S 259-260 

Clarke,   A.    B _ 57 

Clarke,    F.    C _ '   46 

Claybrook,  R.  A 57,72 

Clopton,   A.   W 6,59 

Clopton,  J.  C 57.72 

Clopton,    S.    C - 22, 45,  57 

Cocke,   C.   L 57.402 

Cook,   J.    B 315 

Coleman,  J.  D 261 

Coleman,   L.    M _ 178 

Cooper,    George 88, 185, 186, 198,  284 

Cooper,   W.    B _ 72 

Corey,  C.   H 323-324 

Corron,    J.    P _ 23,111 

Coulling,  D 27 

Councill.   J.   G 376 

Crane.    W.    C „ 72 

Creath,  J.  W.  D 57,  72 

Creath,    T.    B „ 165-168 

Crowder.    H 37 

Curry,  J.  L.  M 146, 179,  302, 384,  398 

Dabney,    Geo.    E 1 19 

Dagg,   J.   L _ 140,141 

Daniel,  J.   R 169 

Daniel,   J.   W 384 

Dargan,  E.  C 82,  112 

Davidson,    A.    F 370 


INDEX  421 


PAGE 

Davidson,    S 373 

Davis,   J.    A 111.133 

Davis,  N.  K 210,  214,  217,  220 

Davenport,    R.    D 57 

Deans,   J.    F 101 

Decker,    W.    J 85,188 

Dempsey,   A.   C 23 

Dillard,   E.   F 327 

Dillard,  J.   M 192-193 

Dickinson,  A.  E 87, 103, 115, 152,337.393,404 

Dodge.    H.    W 57,  72.  377 

Dodson.  E 57,72 

DoflFermyer,  J.  H 357 

Doll.   J.   A 292-293 

Dooley,   T.   W 408 

Dulin,    B.    P 274-276 

Dunaway,  T.  S 226, 259,  368 

Dunaway.   W.   F 6 

Eaton.  T.  T 137,150 

Earle.    A.    B _ 336 

Ellett.   T.   H 108 

Ellyson,   J.   T „ 398 

Farish,  W.  P 243,267 

Ferguson,    H.    G 345,375 

Fife.    James :. 151,213 

Fisher,  Wm _ 318-322 

Fleet,   A 315 

Fleet,   C.   B 391 

Fox,  J.  H 272,292 

Fox,   J.   N 57 

Fox,  L.  L 290 

Fox,   R.   A 376 

Fry,  C.  F _ 152-3 

Fuller.   R 200, 253,  377,  399 

Fuller,    S.    T 106-107 

Furman,  J.  C _ 390 

Garlick,  J.   R 376 

Garnett,    J 80 

Gatewood,    T 44 

George.    C 266.274 

Gillette.    Dr _ 31 

Glass,  J.    S - 358 


422  INDEX 


PAGE 

Gleason,   R.   E 413 

Glenn,  D.  A ....  407 

Goggin,   T.    C 66/277-279 

Goodall,    John 129 

Goode,  John 384 

Gordon,  C.  C _ 167 

Gordon,  J.   C 222 

Graves,  J.  R 141,148 

Gray,    G 24,44,310-311 

Greer,    T.    W 360 

Grimsley,  A.  M 194-195,357 

Grimsley,  B 85.357 

Grimsley,  M.   R _ 357-358 

Greenlee,    J 346 

Gwathmey,    W.    H 58 

Gwaltney,    J.    L 159, 167 

Gwin,  D.  W 159,330 

Hale,    Matthew 41 

Haley,  L.  J _ „ 291 

Hall,  A 128,367 

Hall,   F.   H 162 

Hall,  W.  C - 103.169 

Hamner,   J.    C 57,  72,  373 

Hardy,    A.    F _...  158 

Hardy,    L.    T 157 

Harris,  H.  H 173. 179. 186.206,209,298-312,407,413 

Harris,   J 106 

Harris,   J.   W...._ - _ 156 

Hairis,    S 72,95-103 

Harris.  W.   F _ 325-327 

Harrison,    Gessner _ _ 236 

Harrison,  J.  R 87,  107,  111,402-407.408 

Hart.  J 95,  177,  208,  213 

Hatcher.    H.    E 159 

Hatcher,  W.  E ...43,  50.  92, 132, 158. 173. 186, 198. 

209.  272.  337.  379,  392 

Hawthorne.   J.    B 393 

Haxall,  Mrs.  Clara _ 352 

Haynes,  J.    A 416-417 

Hening,   B.  C 262 

Henson,  P.  S 192,  240,  352 

Herndon.    J.    D 72 

Herndon.  J.  W 381 

Herndon,  T - 383 

Herndon,  T.  D 383 


INDEX  423 


PAGE 

Hiden,   J.   C 282, 284,  359 

Hill,  A.   P _ 233 

Hill,   W.  A 79-80 

Hoge,  M.  D 180,  186 

Hoge,  P.  C 192,292 

Hollins,    Mrs.    Ann..._ 128 

Honeyman,    Robert 367 

Howell,  R.  B.  C 141,  206,388 

Hudson,    Wm 15 

Huff.  S.  P i286-289 

Hume.    T 104.128,266 

Hume.  T.,  Jr 337,  344,  345 

Hundley,  J.   T _ 315 

Hutson,  J.   B 108,  115, 137, 198,403 

Hutson,   J.   E _ 403 

Hyde,    Wm 37 

Jackson,    "Stonewall" 152 

James,   C.   F 85,133 

Jefferson,   Thomas 38 

Jeffries,  Thos 165 

Jessie,   John 116 

Jeter,  J.  B _ :. 96,388 

Johnson,  E.  H 219 

Johnson,  J.  L 188 

Johnson.  T.  N 57,  72,  76,  256-258 

Johnston,    P.    B 23-25 

Jolly,  W.  T _ 316-317,359 

Jones,   C.   H 309 

Jones,  H.  H 46 

Jones,  J.  W 152,159 

Jones,   R 11-12 

Jones,  T.  G 12,  41, 43.  209.  280-284 

Keeling.    H 128 

Keen,   W.  A 347 

Kemper,  J.  F...._ 342 

Kent,  J.  M.,  Sr 52 

Kerfoot,  F.  H 147, 221,  311,  397-401 

Kerr,   John 114 

Kincannon,  J.  T 116 

King,  John _ 63 

Kingsford.    Dr 246 

Kirk.   W.   H 371 

Knight.    R 355 

Kone,  W.   F 36,78 


424  INDEX 


PAGE 

Lake,    I.    B 276,416 

Landrum,   W.    W 92, 198,  284 

Lee,  J.  B 23 

Lee,  J.   S 66 

Lee,   R.   E -    84 

Leftwich,  J 277 

Little,  A 359 

Little,    L.    P _ 138,  153,  289 

Lincoln,  J.   L 72 

Lindsay,    W.    E _ 378 

Lindsley,    S 72 

Long,   J.    C 100,  202-220,  337 

Luck,  Geo.   P 110-113 

Luck,  J.   M 113 

Macfee,  W.  V 51 

Magoon,  E.   L 72.  7Z 

Manly,   B.,  Jr _ 139-150,390 

Manly,    B.,    Sr 142 

Manly,    C 344 

Mansfield.  J.  A 360 

Marshall,    John 38 

Martin,  J.  D 154-155 

Martin,   Wm 26-27 

Mason,    E.    L ■■ 23 

Mason.   J.    S 163-164 

Mason.  S.  G 57-61,  72,  295.  296 

Massey,   J.   E 89, 287,  376,  380-385 

McCown.  J.  W 104,  206.  215 

McDonald.    Henry 186,198 

McGuffey,   W.    H 234,249 

McLaughlin,  J.  T 415 

McManaway,    A.    G - 361 

Meadows,   J.    W 380 

Merryman,  C.  G - 221 

Mitchell,   S.   C 414 

Moffett,   J.    R ^ 83-92 

Moncure,  W.  R.  D 372 

Montague,    P ^^ 

Moore,  L.  W - 102 

Moore,    Wm 54,  76 

Morris,   D.   P 346 

Moses,  C.  R 413 

Mundy.   J.    A 77, 159,  257 

Nash.  C.  H 82 

Nelson.    W.    F 96 


INDEX  425 


PAGE 

Ogden.   A.  H 44 

Oncken.  J.   G 172 

Ould,   Robert _ 72 

Owen,  A.  E 81, 82, 165 

Owen,  P „ 57 

Owen,    R.   R 101 


Parkinson,  J 57 

Pedigo,    W.    B 108 

Perkins,  J.   C _ 18 

Perry,    W.    S 161 

Plumer,   W.   S 71 

Poindexter,    A.    M 57,  128, 251 

Powell,   W.    R 224 

Powers,  J.   A 21 

Prichard,  J.  L 297 

Pritchard,    T.    H 281 

Puryear,    B 300 

Randolph,    John _ 38 

Randolph,  J.  T 213 

Randolph,  Warren 179 

Raymond,  C.  A 262 

Raymond,  J.   E 409 

Reamy,    A.    J 230 

Reamy,   R.    N 227-230 

Repiton,   A.   P 57,72 

Reynoldson,   J.    S _ 383 

Rice,    Luther 128 

Richardson,  J.  A _ 362-363 

Rittenhouse,   D.   C 138,356 

Roach,   E.   W 373 

Roberts,    T.    W 192 

Robertson,  J 64 

Robinson,  E.  G ^2 

Rodgers,    Wm I93 

Routh,   A _ 346 

Royall,  W.   S 321 

Ruggles,  Wm _ 72 

Ryland,    C.    H 103, 145, 159, 337 

Rvland,    Josiah _ 352 

Rvland,  J.  W 371 

Ryland.    R 95, 96, 143, 209, 265, 324, 348-355,  388 

Sampson,    G.   W 398 

Sanderson,  T.  N 374 


426  INDEX 


PAGE 

Sands,  A.  H _ 38-43 

Saurin,  James 130 

Schoolfield,  J.  C _ 57 

Scott,  A.  F 313-315,376 

Scott,  Jacob 151 

Scott,  J.   R 72 

Sears,   B _ 214 

Sewell.  T 72 

Sherwood,  A _ 72 

Shipman,   W.  J 15,  78, 159, 193, 258,  294.  358 

Shuck,   J.   L 57,72 

Slate,   Wm _ 294-296 

Smith,  A.  B 128 

Smith,  F.   H _ 238 

Smith,  H.  C 48 

Smith,    P.    P _ 256 

Smith,  W.  R.  L 4,  279 

Smoot,   S.  C - 72 

Spencer,   John 55-56 

Spurgeon,  C.  H - 361 

Steele,  L.   R 357 

Stifler,  J.  M - 216 

Street,  W.  A 371 

Street,  Z 371 

Sydnor,   T.   W _ 17,  37,  57,  71-75 

Taylor,   Edward   S 16 

Taylor,   D.   G 28,  62-70,  374,  402 

Taylor,   G.   B 183,  209,  255,  337,  388 

Taylor,  J.  B 71,  96, 128,  265,  280 

Taylor,  J.  B.,  Jr 117,  125 

Taylor,   J.    H 153,344 

Taylor,   J.   J - 374 

Taylor,   J.    Lee 62 

Taylor,    R.    R 28 

Taylor,  W.    H 54 

Taylor,    Zachary 339 

Thomas,  Alson 386 

Thomas,    J.,    Jr 181,  387,  393 

Thomas,   W.    D 185, 186,  284,  337,  387-396,  413 

Thompson,   J.   R --    40 

Thompson,  S.  H 15 

Thornhill.  L.  R 103,  198,  256 

Towill,   M.   W 34 

Toy,    C.    H -147, 159, 208 

Trevor,  John  B 172 


INDEX  427 


PAGE 

Tribble,  H.  W 292 

Tucker,   H.    H 118 

Tucker,   J.   T 158,363 

Tupper,    H.    A 180,186 

Turpin,    Jno.    B 413 

Turpin,  Jno.   O 57,  72,  209.  376,  416 

Tyree.  C 19,49,  72,  74, 117-133,  379 

Tyree,  Wm 373 

Tyree,    W.   A 205 

Upham,    J.    C 72 

Vaiden,  Volusco 190-191 

Walker,  Joseph _ 263-273 

Wallace,  I.  T 104-105 

Walthall,   J.    S _ 72 

Watkins.  H 104 

Weston,   H.   G...^ 357 

Wharton,    H.    M _...     33 

Wharton.  M.  B - 109 

Wheeler.   G _ 279 

White.  R.  E 297 

Whitehead,  P 11 

Whitescarver,   W.   A 241.339-345 

Whitfield,    T _ 196-198 

Whitsitt.  W.  H 150 

Wiatt,    W.    E _ .44,46, 162,  315 

Wildman,  J.  W 78 

Williams,    G.    F 198 

Williams,   J.    B 296,373 

Williams,  J.  C - - 185 

Williams,  J.   W.   M 141, 199-201,  214,  248,  268,  377 

Williams,    N.    M 72 

Williams,  Wm 143.390 

Williams,    W.    B 13-15 

Williams,   W.   H 145 

Willis,  E.  J 134-136 

Willis.  J.  C _ 222-226 

Wilson,    F 200 

Winfree,   D.   B 47-50 

Winfree.    R.    H 158 

Winfrey,  E.   B 102-103 

Winfrey,  E.  W 194.226 

Winkler.  E.  T 141,143 


428  INDEX 


PAGE 

Witt,  D „ _...._ 35 

Wood,   M.   L 375 

Wood,  W.  W _ - 371 

Woodson,  C.  A 373 

Woodson,  D.  A _ _.35-36 

Woodson,    T.    E 151 

Woodson,  W.  A 151 

Woodyard,  A 44 

Wi  ight,  J.   H - -137-138, 356 

Wyer,  H.  H 377-379,395 


1    1012  01236  8421 


